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School buses banned after 8.30am to ease traffic congestion in Bengaluru: Report
School buses will no longer be allowed to ply on Bengaluru's roads after 8:30am in a new initiative by the traffic police to ease congestion.
Bengaluru's traffic police department has come up with a new initiative to ease congestion further by prohibiting school buses from plying post 8.30am before the office-going traffic hits the streets. Led by IPS officer M A Saleem, the newly appointed traffic commissioner of the city, officers will be enforcing the new rule by imposing a fine on school buses that drop students and park near schools after 8.15am, The Indian Express reported.
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A traffic police officer told the publication that no school bus will be allowed to stop near schools and violators will have to pay a penalty after 8.30 am. "We have already instructed school management to start classes early,” he said.
The traffic police department will also enforce a “dedicated carriageway” and a “safe passage way” to ensure that children get to school safely. "Parents will be given one entry and one exit point. They can drive their vehicles from the entry point and drop their kids in the playground and drive back to the exit point. This avoids parents stopping by the main roads to drop their kids,” another traffic cop said.
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It was noted several times in the past that school buses park outside their respective schools throughout the day till it is time to drop students home, and thereby block part of the road, causing a major setback to commuters during that time.
Residency Road, the Richmond Road flyover to Brigade Road, HSR Layout, among others have been recognised as problem areas. In this regard, traffic cops have ordered authorities to park the buses inside their campuses.
