School timings to be regulated

HYDERABAD: Traffic congestion in front of school buildings might ease up soon if plans of city police materialise. Traffic police are planning to implement staggered timings for schools to bring some respite to commuters.Additional commissioner of police (traffic) CV Anand said they would be meeting Education department officials and also managements of educational institutions to get staggered timings implemented.“We want educational institutions to open and close in a gap of 15 minutes so that traffic does not get affected,’’ Anand said. Police also want to ensure that opening and closing timings do not clash with peak hours of traffic.At places like Abids, Ram Koti and others, where a large number of educational institutions including schools, junior and degree colleges are located, smooth traffic flow is blocked, with school vehicles and autos bringing children, congregating in huge numbers at a particular time. Anand said school and college zones would be categorised into three zones for implementing staggered timings. A place where eight or more educational institutions are located within a 500 to 700 m radius would be treated as Category A. Similarly, five to seven educational institutions within a radius of 500 to 700 m radius would be treated as Category B while Category C is one where three or four schools or colleges are located within 500-700 m radius.It may be recalled that at an earlier meeting, a proposal to induct Traffic Commandos to regulate traffic in school zones was mooted. Traffic Commandos would be identified and inducted by June 28, said Anand.