‘Zebra-crossing outside schools being implemented’

Official says road safety for school children is paramount

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:

Road safety for school children is paramount and the implementation of zebra crossings outside schools is being implemented under the supervision of Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Noor ul Amin Mengal.

According to an 18-point welfare agenda by Chief Secretary Punjab, the chalking out of ‘zebra crossings’ outside government and private schools was underway from January 21, 2022.

A total of 5,077 public schools and 7,616 private schools have been identified across the division where the action is necessary. Zebra crossings have been installed in 1,737 public schools and 913 private schools.

Around 2,234 teachers and staff in public schools while 1,028 in private schools are being designated to perform this duty.

Mengal said that it is important for the staff on duty to wear special uniform jackets so that the traffic passing by would be more aware of the presence of school children in the area. He said signboards should also be installed for cautionary measures. These duties should be performed in the morning and off time so that the children could cross the road safely.

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Meanwhile, the campaign of Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) to check violations of traffic rules is in full swing and special efforts are being made to maintain traffic discipline in the city, said the police spokesperson on Wednesday.

The main objective of the road safety campaign is to ensure safety to people while road users are being educated on lane discipline during the drive.

Following directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younis , Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal has constituted special teams to control lane violation on various roads and ensure smooth flow of traffic in the city. Strict checking is being made against those not using helmets during bike rides, using a mobile phone and not fastening seat belts during drive.

ITP's team remains present on all important roads including Islamabad Expressway, Srinagar (Kashmir) highway to educate road users about traffic rules.

ITP's FM Radio 92.4 is also disseminating messages about road safety and to educate the audience about traffic rules. The SSP appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the force by following traffic laws. He said that action would be taken against those not following lanes during the drive as the sole purpose was to ensure a safe road environment in the city.

He hoped that citizens would follow traffic rules and help ITP through their cooperation in ensuring secure traffic system in the city. Those violators of traffic rules would be fined and a safer road environment would be ensured through constant monitoring, Iqbal maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2022.