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Schools, parents gear up for road diversions
DUBAI - Anticipating bottlenecks in ferrying students from home to school and back due to several road diversions in both Dubai and Sharjah,
- PUBLISHED: Sun 2 Sept 2007, 8:44 AM UPDATED: Tue 23 Jul 2024, 10:37 AM
School managements in both the emirates are taking measures to ensure smooth transportation of children and parents.
For instance, the Indian High School (IHS), Dubai, has sent text messages to the parents of all the students requesting them to go to the next designated bus stop, in case there are diversions in their area.
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“We have sent an SMS to all parents to go to the next bus stop and board the bus if there is any change in routes in their areas as we might not be able to reach them. We have been preparing for the past one week and have gone over the routes,” says IHS Transport Manager Sunil Shetye.
Despite the advance preparation and 'dry runs', schools foresee blocks in areas like Deira and Al Mulla Plaza in Dubai and a few places in Sharjah.
They believe that only after the schools reopen, they would they be able to get a better perspective.
Our Own Indian School, Dubai, had sent its fleet and drivers to take note of the changes and has made slight alterations to their routes. “When we run the buses with the children, we will get a clearer picture. Perhaps we might have to change our bus stops after that,” says Principal Aziz Akhtar.
Though authorities of Delhi Private School, Sharjah, have also changed a few of their bus routes and the timings, Principal Abha Sahgal observed that the management would be able to review the time of travel only after the school resumes.
Drivers of Sharjah Indian School travelled on their usual routes yesterday and will inform parents tomorrow if there are any major changes.
On its part, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has been projecting detailed maps in the media, explaining the changes and the routes school buses could take.
Parents, on the other hand, are anxious about the first week.
Unhappy with the numerous road diversions, they believe that their wards will spend a lot of time commuting.
The parent of an IHS student who lives in Deira, told Khaleej Times, “We live in Muraqqabat, where there hasn't been any change so far. We have got messages from the school and are hoping the bus will come as usual and pick up my ward. In the initial few days, we fear that the buses might get delayed.”
