Hyderabad: Calls for Safe School Zones Inspired by Pune
Members of the Hyderabad Cycling community are urging the State Government to adopt safe school zones, similar to those introduced by the Pune Municipal Corporation. These zones aim to improve junctions and ensure the safety of commuting students.
To raise awareness, the Hyderabad Cycling community has started an awareness campaign. They are informing citizens about the benefits of safe school zones and how effectively they are working in Pune. They are also in discussions with officials from GHMC, traffic police, HMDA, and school management to move the project forward.
Santhana Selvan, the bicycle mayor of Hyderabad, spoke to the Hans India about the initiative. He emphasized the community’s goal to encourage kids and grandkids to walk, cycle, and use public transportation for their daily commute. He mentioned that School Zoning Zones are a step towards achieving this goal. However, he noted that such zones have not yet been implemented in Hyderabad, despite clusters of schools and colleges in areas like Madhapur, Secunderabad, Uppal, and LB Nagar.
Highlighting the project, Selvan explained that the aim is to make roads around school zones safer. This would include setting up speed breakers, proper pedestrian crossings, zebra crossings, traffic signals, and 24×7 CCTV cameras.
Traffic police should be present during peak hours to control vehicle speed, and the government should enforce a rule that vehicles should not exceed 25 km/hr in school zones. He pointed out that a similar concept was introduced by the Pune Municipal Corporation in 2022, and it inspired them to consider implementing it in Hyderabad. This project requires coordination among various departments such as GHMC, traffic police, and civil society.
Currently, they are in talks with government officials and school management. Selvan stressed the need for more awareness, which is why they have started an awareness drive. Community members are auditing the project by visiting different localities and gathering details to implement the project as soon as possible.
