Drivers or parents waiting outside their children’s school gates to pick them up are blocking the roads, according to other drivers who pass those roads during after-school hours.
Vehicles piling up on roads in front of the school gates, especially in the afternoon and during rush hour, have become a common and alarming occurrence around every school. Motorists who have no alternate road to choose become victim of this.
Samad Alam, a 43-year-old Pakistani father who has to pass a school in Al-Rehab district every day to reach his daughter’s school, characterizes the situation as “a serious problem.”
Alam reveals that his workplace allows him a lunch break of only an hour, and he has to pick up his daughter after school and drop her off at home during this short time.
“I get delayed in the traffic, unable to do anything in the queue of cars. My one-hour break passes just like that on the road,” says Alam.
Some people suggest the Ministry of Education should warn schools to put up a “no parking” sign in front of school gates, not allowing any room for the vehicles to be parked. An alternative could be setting up separate parking areas for schools.
Motorists who use these roads come from all walks of life. Some may be in a hurry to reach work and others to attend a meeting. There could be an emergency situation as well.
Filipino driver Allen Gerrero says he goes to the school to collect his employee’s daughter one hour before the school finishes just to find decent parking space.
“As soon as I arrive, I look for the parking space nearest to the school gate and wait in the heat of the afternoon sun,” he says. “If I come any later, I may lose a good parking spot and will have to park all the way in the back and also wait a long time to get out of there,” he adds.
The problem also concerns residents living in the area.
“This is where a traffic police should be alert. It is very disobedient of drivers not to follow the road rules and block a main road,” comments Mohammed Amoudi, a 31-year-old Yemeni resident living down the school road.
A number of residents fear the chaos might cause the roadway to become increasingly unsafe.
Schools, on the other hand, depict the behavior of some parents and drivers waiting at the gate to pick up their children as inhumane. Once the vehicles vacate their parking space, many are appalled by the amount of litter in the area, from cigarette butts and food litter to chewing gum, sweet wrappers and drink packs.
“It is important for an adult to be responsible and dispose rubbish in a proper way. Dumping trash on the streets will portray a bad example of a parent to their children. Littering the school’s street is not a good way to show respect to a school,” says 39-year-old Yasmin Alaga, an Egyptian teacher at an international school.
Yasmin suggests to the parents and drivers waiting outside to use the street bins rather than public places to deposit their rubbish.
“This kind of rubbish isn’t just untidy, it is a serious health hazard as well. If you can’t find a bin, just take your rubbish home with you!” she adds.
Vehicles’ crowd in front of schools creates chaos
