Traffic snarls: Clash of school, office timings block city roads

Ludhiana: With city schools delaying the timings to 10am owing to the cold wave, the roads outside schools are generally jam-packed during the opening time. This is because the opening time now coincides with peak traffic hours — 9am to 11am — when commuters are generally headed to their offices and businesses.
This has further increased the congestion on roads and parents and office-goers alike are stuck in long traffic jams almost every weekday. This is taking a toll on education as students and teachers often get late in reaching the schools.

Students, teachers stuck in traffic
Aman, a teacher at a private city school shared that he was stuck in traffic near Pakhowal Road for nearly half an hour when he was headed to school. He said: "It’s not only that traffic is badly managed but at times, people don’t have the basic manners of parking their vehicles near schools and market areas. The residential areas meanwhile, have been converted into commercial markets all over Ludhiana including Sarabha nagar, Model Town, BRS Nagar, Rajguru Nagar and South City. These areas should have separate markets with parking spaces.”
Similarly, a private school student was stuck in traffic and he couldn’t make it to school in time for his pre-board examinations. He said: “Pre-boards are going on and we have to report at 945am. I left my Haibowal Kalan house at 8.50am that morning, but still couldn’t make it to my school in Urban estate by 9.45am, even after an hour of travelling.”
However, many school principals that TOI talked to suggested various ways to solve the traffic issue.
Dr Harpreet Singh, principal of GHG Khalsa school, Gurusar Sadhar said, “There is a dire need of traffic regulations. Parking of buses and four-wheelers on the main road outside schools must be completely banned. Besides, abrupt stoppage by buses on officially undesignated stops causes inconvenience and such buses should be challaned.”
He added, “Ludhiana roads have one of the slowest-moving traffics due to slow-moving vehicles like carts and rickshaws. Thus there should be a separate lane for them and they shouldn’t be allowed to overtake any fast-moving vehicles, especially in the peak hours.”
Gurbhej Singh Nagi, principal of Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar suggested staggered timings in case of schools which have more schools located in their vicinity. A gap of 10 minutes should help reduce the congestion, he said.
Principals of city schools have also demand to pre-pone school timings to 9am instead of 10am as the cold has now reduced.
J K Sidhu, principal of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar and Shilpi Gurtu, principal of Ryan International School, Dugri maintained: “From next week, schools timings should be changed as weather is comparatively better. The office timings would not clash and gradually reduce traffic.”
Shalini, a teacher at D C M Presidency School said, “Already, a lot of developmental work is going on in the city and traffic police needs to be more active. However, no traffic police are visible at the roads during the jams.”
Mona Singh, principal of Guru Nanak Public School, Model Town Extension suggested an “efficient public transport system” and said that car pooling should be promoted.