The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has initiated the formation of traffic clubs with the primary goal of providing traffic education to students in community schools.
As per the Metropolitan, each school will witness the creation of a traffic club comprising 10 to 15 students, who will undergo training facilitated by the traffic police. Notably, Padmakanya Vidyalaya has already established a traffic club, prompting the expansion of the program to other schools in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, as confirmed by traffic management consultant Jagatman Shrestha.
The selected students will assist in guiding their peers safely across the roads during peak school hours (9 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 4 pm). Shrestha stated, "During these times, students will be donned in traffic uniforms, contributing to a reduction in road accidents within the school vicinity."
Assigned students will actively manage traffic using tools such as traffic lights, cones, safety jackets, and signal lights to ensure safe passage for pedestrians. The program is set to encompass all 89 public schools in operation within Kampala. However, recognizing the impracticality of involving young children in such initiatives at pre-primary schools, the first phase will focus on 40 selected schools, as disclosed by Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
In the ongoing fiscal year, the metropolitan has allocated Rs. 2 million for the program. Furthermore, Kathmandu Metropolitan City is gearing up to install road-crossing facilitation systems at 36 locations near schools. Shrestha highlighted that Kathmandu Metropolitan, having previously implemented the system in Babarmahal, plans to extend it to 36 locations, encompassing 26 public schools and 10 private schools.
While the program aims to cover 36 schools this year, prioritization will be given to those schools deemed at risk of accidents in the future. Currently, Kathmandu Metropolitan City hosts 89 community schools and 504 private schools.
