Admin starts implementing school safety zones in district; 20 planned

The district is launching school safety zones with features like warning signs and speed measures, starting at Kadipur, to protect children commuting to school.

The district’s road safety committee (DRSC), along with the regional transport authority (RTA) and the Raahgiri foundation, has begun rolling out the school safety zones initiative of the district administration.

The safe zone seen near the government primary school in Kadipur on Friday. (HT)

The initiative has been started at the government primary school in Kadipur, where safety features such as warning signs, speed curbing measures and color-coded road crossings for guiding children have been created, district administration officials said on Friday.

According to officials, around 20 such school safety zones are going to be set up in the coming months in the district. The zone at Kadipur, funded through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of multiple organisations, is scheduled to be inaugurated today, officials said.

According to officials, the safety zones outside the school are required to prevent accidents and safe commutation of children.

Harender Veer, assistant road transport officer, said that safe school zones in Basai and Bhondsi government-run educational institutions are expected to be implemented by May-end. “Through surveys, around 20schools have been identified by DRSC to create safe passage zones for children at their entry/exit points. The design upgrades will include road redevelopment works for creating a proximal zones such as color-coded markings warning the commuters about a school area beforehand, pick-up and drop-off points, dedicated parkings and laybys,” Veer said.

“During the meeting, the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Sonu Bhatt directed the road agencies to begin implementation of similar school safety zones in areas within their jurisdictions,” a senior official who attended the meeting said, requesting anonymity.

Bhawna Jha, senior project associate at Raahgiri Foundation and designer of the school safety zone in Kadipur, said the primary mobility assessment shows that more than 70% students walk to school in Kadipur. “Similar mobility patterns have been observed in government schools. This initiative shows that most chaotic roads can be transformed into safe, vibrant spaces where children can move freely and confidently,” Jha said.

The senior official added that high-mast lights, street signages, and speed breakers in safety zones will help limit speed to up to 30 km/hour on the roads. “An improved traffic management plan with coordination from the school authorities will be enforced to improve congestion outside the schools during the peak hours,” the senior official said.