Pool cars dropping children to schools on Loudon Street, Rawdon Street, Hungerford Street and Wood Street in the central business district have been asked to drop students at designated points and immediately leave the area, police said on Friday.
The students will be escorted to their respective campuses by assistants accompanying them in pool cars.
A similar approach has been taken for pool cars headed to South Point School in Mandeville Gardens, with police identifying alighting points from where assistants will escort students to the campus.
Sign boards with “Drop & Pick Up only” have been put up at some points along the road leading to South Point School to ensure pool cars don't wait after dropping off or before picking up students.
“The plan was drawn up last week. We are implementing it on a trial basis at some points near schools. From Monday, the plan will be implemented in a full-fledged manner,” said the officer.
“The idea is to ensure that thoroughfares around schools be kept congestion-free and offer maximum possible road space to motorists even on school days,” said a senior officer responsible for managing school traffic in south Kolkata.
“We have identified some of the big schools where the drop-off-pick-up plan is being implemented. Gradually, it will be replicated in other parts of the city.”
Managing school traffic has emerged as the biggest challenge for the police ever since the campuses reopened for in-person classes in June.
Morning rush-hour traffic around parts of Rawdon Street, Loudon Street, Robinson Street and Hungerford Street continued to crawl with school buses, cars and pool cars jostling for space to drop off students.
Things came to a pass when Kolkata police announced that there would be no parking on either side of these roads between 7am and 2pm.
Traffic also suffered further south, around Gariahat, with school buses and pool cars jostling for space around Mandeville Gardens till officers decided to bring in a new regulation.
“Police have briefed us and we have, in turn, told all our members that they have to move out immediately after children have been escorted into the school compound. The pool cars should not be staying there,” said Sudip Dutta, secretary of the Pool Car Owners Welfare Association.
“Many parents, however, are not happy with the new system. Some are questioning why those travelling by school buses are being dropped off in the school compound itself and others are made to walk down.”
Officers from traffic guards managing school-time traffic around Theatre Road said all pool car drivers had been asked to turn up around 10 minutes before classes end for the day.
Any pool car driver turning up ahead of this time and keeping the vehicle parked around school gates will be prosecuted.
“Teams have been set up to chase pool cars that will turn up before time to pick up students from schools on Lord Sinha Road. Initially, the drivers are being asked to move out. Subsequently they will be prosecuted,” said a senior police officer.
