School fronts becoming parking lots

Rawalpindi is experiencing severe traffic problems these days as parents and school van-drivers park to collect students from the educational institutions situated on every road and street of the city.

“Problems include parents and van-drivers parking their vehicles in front of residents’ drives and almost in the middle of the road which holds up traffic,” says Asad Abbas, a restaurant owner near Rafay Mall.

“We the residents of Sir Syed Chowk area see the problem getting awful day by day. Hundreds of cars are parked in the surrounding streets. School authorities should ask van drivers and parents having cars to be more considerate,” says Baqar Raza.

Manzar Naqvi, father of 4th class student says: “The justifications by parents such as ‘I want to get home quickly as my other kid is sick’, or an excuse by the van driver, ‘there is no other place to park my vehicle’, are just inappropriate as poor car parking could cause nuisance to others. Safety of the children is the concern of everyone who faces such situation daily.”

Talib-ul-Moula, a teacher of a private school on Tipu Road says, “Parking problems at school-leaving time are quite serious and are getting acute with the passage of time as more private schools are coming up in every nook and corner of the city. And also many schools sit near the T-junction and Y-junctions of the roads, which are also busy roads.”

“While recognizing the trouble caused to residents and the overcrowding problems on city roads, the major concern remains the protection of the children on the streets and roads which have schools. This problem must be dealt with earnestly,” says Syed Alamdar Hussain,” a principal of a private school on the Shaheed Qoun Muhammad Rizvi Road.

“Sans any measures, the problem can only get worse if more schools are established in the areas which are already booming with them, as school van drivers and parents are not considerate of residents, other drivers and the children’s safety,” says Hamid Hussain, a retired college professor.

“The record of instances of poor parking is never-ending. Unfortunately, some parents become rude when residents ask them to move about. The sad aspect of this story is that it is the small minority of van drivers and parents that are giving rise to this untoward scenario,” says Wajahat Ali, a private school headmaster.

“There is no need for making any apology for raising concerns over this issue, because we have a duty to change our conduct for the sake of our children as they follow what we do. We must all try and mold the society and behavior we desire our children to be a part of,” says Abida Naqi, a private school principal.