Illegal parking is bane outside Rustomjee school in Borivli

The road outside Rustomjee International School turns into an uncivilised nightmare every day before and after school hours One can see commuters fuming about being stuck in the seemingly endless traffic jam in front of the school sometimes for even up to an hourWhen midday strolled around the place it was clear that other than illegal parking on the sides of the road and broken footpaths the parents too were to blame as they came in private vehicles and stopped in front of the gates Also the school needs a better system in place to not only lessen the burden on traffic but also save children from potential accidentsVans stop close to the school gates until all the children get off causing a jam hereBMC isnt entirely blameless in this Its inability to keep the roads from the clutches of encroachments by auto drivers The school is located on the main road of Rustomjee Acre but sadly both roadsides have been taken over by autos two and fourwheelers that have narrowed the lanes to such an extent that even school buses have to squeeze throughA parent seeking anonymity said On one side these autos are parked till the end of the lane while on the other residential vehicles are stationed This makes the lanes so narrow Sometimes school buses struggle to take a turn Thanks to this vehicles coming from behind cant pass We have told the school authorities about it but so far nothing has happenedAutos parked on both sides of the road forc school buses vans to move in the narrow space in between PicsSatej ShindeWhats more there are two carwash companies operating on the road where customers cars are parked Adding to the general chaos here is the lack of a security guard to guide children across the road The school gate opens out on to the road So after school gets over students rush out adding to the road blockage There is need for a more disciplinary measures from the school said another parentBroken footpaths here force children to walk in the middle of trafficAnd as private buses arent allowed inside they have to park inside They drop and pick up children from the road which again causes traffic jams Parents too dont follow traffic rules Those who come on twowheelers ride against traffic with children behind them Also they drop the children exactly in front of the gates which again blocks the entrances and then stop to chat with the kids adding to the congestionThe school administration was not available for comment on the situation When a midday reporter approached the school the administration staff asked for the query to be submitted through email But there was no response to the email sent despite several attemptsProblems Illegal parking along sides of the roads No guard to guide the students while crossing Parents blocking gates while dropping students Private school buses obstruct the entranceVOICESShruthi AgarwalResidentAutos are illegally parked along the roadside which makes the space to walk very narrow During school hours we have to dodge the parked autos to make sure we dont injuring ourselves scraping the sides if the autos Also as the footpaths are broken students have to walk on the road which is extremely dangerousNarendra MehtaShopkeeperEvery day we see how children struggle to walk on the broken footpaths Once a girl fell and twisted her ankle right in front of me As children rush in and out of school they often fall and hurt themselves Why is the BMC not fixing thisCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates