SHILLONG, May 19: The traffic situation in Shillong worsens in the mornings and afternoons when schools get over, as hundreds of parents descend on these schools to pick up their children. Shillong Police, however, is set to review the matter.
Most of these schools do not have parking spaces, and some do not even allow vehicles and two-wheelers to enter their campuses. As a result, concerned parents park their cars and two-wheelers on the road, leading to massive chaos and traffic snarls in the area. A visit to Don Bosco in the morning and afternoon reveals that hundreds of two-wheelers arked haphazardly parked at the junction, causing traffic snarls in the area. This chaos continues for about half an hour to an hour.
In the melee, the flow of vehicles on the main road is adversely affected, and recently, there have been instances where even two-wheelers got stuck in traffic jams in the area.
Speaking on the matter, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Rituraj Ravi, said he would review the situation with the SP Traffic and officers of the Traffic branch to address the issue.
A couple of traffic personnel are deployed at these junctions during school hours, but it is evident that even they are unable to manage the massive rush witnessed in these areas.
Similarly, from Dhankheti point to Don Bosco point, a long queue of vehicles and buses is seen parked on the road to pick up students.
In the IGP area, parents park their cars and two-wheelers almost on the main road to pick up their children from a nearby school, causing the entire road to get jammed.
The government recently introduced STEMS buses to pick up and drop students, but even now, most parents prefer to drop their children to their respective schools themselves.
