Schools miles apart, but same traffic issues in Byculla and Mulund

The traffic chaos at Trimurti Marg where there are three schools

Trimurti Marg at Mulund West is a broad, four-lane, tree-lined road with wide footpaths and apartments. Alongside this road are three schools, St Pius, St Mary's Convent and a relatively new entrant, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar School. The tranquility of this road is broken in a jiffy, at the schools' opening and closing times. The place suddenly turns into a hub of honking, traffic jams and chaos."

"During the school opening and closing times, the road changes, as there are so many vehicles honking and kids moving around, that it becomes impossible to negotiate a small stretch. The autos, school buses, mini-vans, parents dropping kids in their vehicles and two-wheelers, all converge on the place at one time," a shopkeeper, Alex D'Souza said. A local resident, Ankit Savla, said that the three schools in one place make the area more chaotic. "Buses are parked throughout the day and night along the road, and it affects the privacy of residents too," he added.

The traffic congestion at Sant Savata Mali Road at Byculla

Rasika Chheda, who had come to drop her daughter, Kavya, on her two-wheeler, said the road is risky to send a child alone. "That is why I decided to drive her to school as the bus fees are also expensive and we stay relatively closer," she said.

Similar issue in Byculla
It is a nightmare of traffic congestion for Byculla residents who have to cross the Sant Savata Mali Road at the times when two diagonally opposite schools located on the road either start or end the day. The two schools - Gloria Convent School and Antonio D'Souza School, popularly known as Anza School - also have similar timings. Though there are few school buses, most students are picked up and dropped by their parents on two-wheelers.

Gloria Convent School and Antonio D'Souza Schools end for the day. Pics/Ashish Raje

After the issue was pointed out by readers following mid-day's campaign, this reporter visited the area. After the morning school sessions end at 12.30 PM for Anza and at 1 PM for Gloria, the road is a complete mess. While shopkeepers etc already park on both sides of the road, the school buses add to the mess. Neither of the schools have personnel to ensure students' safety and smooth traffic.

Major Problems
. Too many school buses permanently parked
. Schools don't allow parking inside compounds
. All schools on same road
. Trimurti Marg is also a route for BEST buses, which leads to a lot of traffic chaos.

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