Cops hold safety talks with parents, pool car owners & app bikers
Times of India | 6 July 2025
Kolkata: Emphasizing that safety was paramount, a parent — while voicing his concerns at an interactive session with the Thakurpukur Traffic Guard on Saturday— revealed how he shifted from taking his son to school on a two-wheeler to availing the service of school bus. Though the change increased the child's travel time to school and back home, the parent was relieved that he had opted for a safer option. The parent shared this experience at a Silpara Behala hall, packed with 60 people, involving parents, expert riders , pool car owners and drivers of Vivekananda Mission School and KV Joka, as well as riders from various app-based services on Saturday. At the 80-minute-long interactive session, police asked the pool car owners and drivers to follow the basic SOP to ensure safety of the school children. The pool car drivers were asked not to resort to reckless driving, even if it meant being late. The car pool operators were asked to not use resoled tyres and ensure that safety protocols are followed, especially during the rains.
"We have allowed enough time for car pool owners to fall in line. This is after a joint project with IIT Kharagpur revealed that over half of all school children travel in pool cars," said an officer.
"If the directives are not followed, we will be forced to seize the vehicles," cops said, while adding they received a positive response from the pool car operators. The Supreme Court had stated that vehicles carrying schoolchildren should have speed limiters to ensure the maximum speed is 40 km/h. The ministry of road transport and highways has made it mandatory for all commercial vehicles within city limits to have speed limiters so that they don't exceed 60 km/h. GPS is a must, allowing parents to track their children's movements. The Rajarhat Traffic Guard officers also met a number of app bike riders and app-based delivery personnel.
The cops proposed that the agents should avoid breaking signals, overtaking vehicles from the left, and cutting lanes near crossings. These agents are among the largest group of traffic rule violators.