Student pick-and-drop chokes city roads

Without school buses, major roads turn into crawling traffic zones twice a day

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KARACHI:

Students studying at private schools often carry a sense of superiority thanks to the abysmal condition of the country's public education sector. However, when the absence of a school bus service encourages thousands of such students to arrive and depart in their separate vehicles like busy statesmen, the city's commuters will have no choice but to be prepared for incessant gridlocks.

According to details gathered by The Express Tribune, there are 57 points across Karachi where traffic jams frequently occur due to the pick-and-drop of students outside private schools, twice a day. Reportedly, data from the Traffic Police shows that 19 of these points are in District East, 15 in Central, 11 in South, seven in Saddar, three in District West, and one each in Korangi and Malir.

Shahzad Ahmed, who resides in Korangi, has to travel to his workplace in Saddar everyday by bus. "There are two to three private schools located on this route. During the morning hours, whenever my bus crosses this area, it takes at least 15 to 20 minutes to reach the other side, even though it usually takes barely three minutes. I reach my shop late because of this nearly every day," regretted Ahmed.

Likewise, Muhammad Nawaz, a parent from the Model Colony Malir, has to travel through a similar area in order to reach his office after dropping his children off at school. "I have to cross the Jinnah Avenue Road daily to get to work. There are three schools on this road near Tank Chowk and it takes me at least 15 minutes to cross this point due to the arrival of students in dozens of vehicles at a time," said Nawaz.

Such traffic jams not only create difficulties for common commuters but also hinder the movement of ambulances carrying critically ill patients to hospitals like the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and other major hospitals. Similarly, students and teachers heading towards the University of Karachi, NED and other adjoining institutions also face similar challenges due to the routine traffic jams on University Road.

On January 14, DIG Traffic Police Ahmed Nawaz Cheema shared details of these points along with a list of nearby private schools with the Education Department, requesting it to take appropriate measures to resolve the issue. Cheema claimed that the Traffic Police had earlier issued notices to these schools in September 2024, urging them to manage single lane parking, but nothing was done by their management.

According to Cheema, the same issue has been addressed by the authorities in Punjab on the directives of the Lahore High Court (LHC), which has instructed all private institutions to arrange their own transport, in order to curtail traffic congestion outside their buildings. Following the Traffic Police's complaint, the Sindh Education Department has also found a similar solution to this problem.

Veteran urban planner Arif Hassan also supported the solution proposed by the LHC and Education Department. "The solution to this problem lies in the arrangement of buses, instead of vans and other transport, to pick and drop students. All private schools should arrange these buses, either on their own or through contractors," urged Hassan.

On January 28, the Education Department sent a letter to the administration of all private schools identified by the Traffic Police, directing them to arrange adequate transportation for their students, including the provision of proper parking facilities and staff.

"The Traffic Police has been facing this issue for a long time. Apart from the citizens, we too have struggled to manage the traffic congestion caused by private schools," claimed Cheema.