GURGAON: The motto is safety first. The cityadministration is set to create “safe zones” around schools —with a focus on accident prevention and child safety.The initiative follows a survey on safe school commutes conducted at 10 schools last year around Oct. The absence of proper infrastructure “poses a significant risk to student safety”, the survey had concluded.The administration will now redesign nearly 100-metre stretches around selected schools to ensure secure movement for students during road crossings, school bus boarding and entry–exit hours. Under the first phase, 11 govt and private schools have been selected.Each zone will include upgraded road stretches, mandatory school zone markings, strictly enforced speed limits, footpaths, waiting areas with benches, fresh wall paintings and properly aligned zebra crossings. Authorities will also ensure regular road maintenance around these schools to prevent potholes or obstructions.Govt School of Kadipur will be the first to be developed under this initiative. Officials said the model will be replicated at other locations once the pilot succeeds.Deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar said, “The core objective is to avoid accidents and create a safer environment for school-going children in the city. More schools will be added in the next phase after evaluating the impact of the first rollout.”The schools included in Phase One are: Govt Primary School Badhshapur, Govt Senior Secondary School Dunela, Govt Secondary School Budhera, Govt Secondary School Kadipur, Govt Secondary School Harsuru, Govt Secondary School Bhondsi, Govt Secondary School Sukhrali, Govt Secondary School Bhimnagar, Amity International School, Sector 46 and The Shri Ram School, Aravali.The survey on safe school commutes had been conducted by the traffic engineering centre of the traffic police and revealed that many schools in Gurgaon lack adequate safety measures for students, particularly around the roads near school premises.Lack of pedestrian crossings, absence of refuge spaces, encroached walking spaces, including footpaths and carriageways and lack of dedicated space to cross the road — these are among many safety measures found missing at city schools.There is an absence of markings or colour-coded school zone markings besides the lack of traffic calming measures — including speed humps and rumble strips — at many schools in Gurgaon, according to a recent survey conducted by the traffic police.The survey noted, “The absence of kerb stones and pedestrian railings results in unsafe movement along the edge of the road. Railings act as guiding and protective measures for schoolchildren, preventing sudden and unsafe road entry. Their absence increases the chances of pedestrian–vehicle conflicts.”Among the many recommendations that the traffic police have made to fix them are marked pedestrian crossings, kerb stones and pedestrian railings, well-marked bays, designated, well-marked drop-off/pick-up bays, rumble strips and installing speed limit signs.District road safety committee is collaborating with the traffic police to identify key problem areas and work towards developing safer infrastructure around schools in coordination with the concerned departments.Inadequate markings around the school, including pedestrian crossing marks, colour-coded school zone markings, directional school arrow markings and the absence of word messages like “Slow,” “School Ahead,” or speed limits, were not found painted on the carriageway, which is essential as per IRC school zone guidelines.The absence of speed humps, rumble strips and hazard sign markers makes the zone even more vulnerable. Unregulated parking and the absence of designated drop-off/pick-up bays create severe conflicts between moving vehicles and pedestrians.In school zones, vehicles often stop randomly near gates, obstructing the visibility of children crossing and causing congestion.As per IRC, separate, well-marked bays for school buses, auto-rickshaws and private vehicles must be provided to minimise conflicts and ensure smooth circulation.The absence of such facilities directly increases the risk of accidents during school start and closing hours.
