Road signal-free, so kids going to school just dash

Ever since three new flyovers opened on the Outer Ring Road between Munirka and West End, to make the journey from south Delhi to the airport signal-free, the stretch has become highly accident-prone. At the receiving end of the bad planning are scores of school children who study in about a dozen schools on either side of Outer Ring Road.

The children risk their lives every day as the cross the road, in the absence of a subway, foot-overbridge (FOB) or traffic signal.

Ever since all three new flyovers were made operational in the last months of 2009, the route from IIT to National Highway 8 has become completely signal-free. Speeding vehicles use the route as a quick access from south Delhi to the airport and back. There used to be two traffic signals between the flyovers at Munirka crossing and on Rao Tula Ram Marg, but these were removed when the flyovers were opened.

Turning the stretch into a nightmare for pedestrians. "I feel scared to cross the road. Traffic comes non-stop and all I can do is just run when I see the number of cars becoming a little less,'' said Deepika Sree, a class 8 student of Tagore International School.

Added Mohan Thapa, a Class 7 student of Hope Hall Middle School: "I need to cross the road twice a day to get to my home in D-block, Vasant Vihar. But it's become impossible. I feel like I am going to get hit by a car one of these days as no one stops for us. Even the footpaths are all dug up.''

There are several schools located in the colonies on either side of Outer Ring Road, including Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Upras Vidyalaya, Hope Hall School, Tagore International School, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Delhi Public School RK Puram and Vasant Vihar, Kendriya Vidyalaya. As a result, thousands of school children studying in these schools and who live in the vicinity or use public transport need to cross the main road to get to school and back.

Students can be seen crossing the road in hordes in a feeble attempt to prevent their being run over. "I use the route often and I see small children crossing the main road. But even if I want to, it's unsafe to stop my car because I risk being hit by a speeding car from behind,'' said DS Khurana, a resident of Malviya Nagar.

The government, meanwhile, seems to be dragging its feet on construction of pedestrian facilities. "The matter was discussed at UTTIPEC Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre) and there is a plan to build a foot-overbridge at this point, which has been approved. Construction should start soon. Though the flyovers have been opened for traffic, work is still going on at the stretch,'' said an official.link

Three FOBs were supposed to come up alongwith the flyovers but the tenders were reportedly not awarded in time as officials were unable to finalise locations. The proposals were finalised only in November last year, after the flyovers were opened for traffic.