Pune News: PCMC launches safer school zone, trial in Nigdi to enhance safety of students
Pune News: PCMC launches safer school zone, trial in Nigdi to enhance safety of students
Pimpri: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has launched a week-long trial to redesign the school zone around Jnana Prabodhini Navanagar Vidyalaya (JPNV) in Nigdi, aiming to enhance student safety and reduce road crashes. This initiative commenced from January 20 has been undertaken in collaboration with the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, and marks a significant step toward safer and more accessible school environments.
The PCMC intends to take up more schools in its jurisdiction to create safer school zones to reduce road crashes and fatalities. They are also working on guidelines that envision safe and equitable access to schools for all children through sensitive planning and design of school zones.
With over 2,000 students across pre-primary to secondary levels at JPNV, more than 30% of whom walk or cycle to school, the project seeks to address critical safety challenges posed by high-speed corridors surrounding the school. The trial tests solutions for road safety, traffic calming, junction improvements, waiting areas, and resting spaces that include raised pedestrian crossings, and curb extensions.
The proposed road design changes in the vicinity of the school, including wider sidewalks, raised crossings for safe pedestrian movement, and a dedicated cycle track, are expected to reduce driver speeds below 20 km/h. The design will help reclaim approximately 5,000 square meters of space dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists. It includes a continuous, unobstructed sidewalk or footpath with a width of 4.0 meters, paired with a 2.4-meter-wide dedicated cycle track, ensuring safe and efficient mobility for all users.
PCMC commissioner Shekhar Singh, said that the safety of the students is the civic body’s top priority. “The redesign of the school zone has elements that would reduce driver speeds, and provide universal access to students, teachers, parents, and residents. This trial is the first step towards a transformation that ensures the safety of students. We are developing guidelines to make the school zones in Pimpri Chinchwad safer through better design,” said Singh.
“With children risking their lives each day on their journey to and from school, it is crucial to make this experience safer and more enjoyable for them,” said Jashwanth Tej K, Program Manager at GDCI.
“By enhancing their walking and cycling experience, we not only contribute to their health and well-being but also create opportunities to develop their cognitive and motor skills.”
With the support of PCMC, the initiative highlights the importance of child-centric street design, paving the way for safer, more inclusive urban streets. “Reduction of speeds should be a key focus in making school journeys safer and also pedestrians of all ages and abilities,” Jashwanth added.
Students’ feedback taken to improve design of school zone
To design the improvements around the school zone, PCMC and GDCI engaged with the students to understand their daily challenges while commuting to school and their aspirations and needs on the streets. The engagement found that the students faced several mobility-related challenges, including difficulty crossing, parking encroachments, unsafe street infrastructure, and poor traffic enforcement in the school vicinity. Engagement workshops were also conducted with the Parent-Teachers Association of JPNV, staff of the school and the residents along the stretch of the trial. After seeking their feedback, input and suggestions, this project moved forward into this interim transformation.
Safer school zone assessment to be done after trial period
After the trial period, PCMC and GDCI will assess the impact of the transformation by collecting both qualitative and quantitative metrics. These will include data on the street’s initial conditions, such as vehicular speeds and pedestrians and children’s perceptions of safety. Following this, post-trial metrics will be gathered to understand feedback, evaluate the impact of the transformation, and measure the reduction in vehicular speeds, PCMC will implement capital construction by following the due process of the civic body.
