School buses in traffic
School buses in traffic School buses in traffic School buses in traffic School buses in traffic Bengaluru: Hundreds of schoolchildren commuting along the Varthur-Gunjur stretch of SH-35 endured a harrowing Thursday as severe traffic congestion delayed school buses by up to 40 minutes in the morning and left students stranded on roads for hours while returning home. A 4km drive took 2.5 hours, stuck mostly in traffic. The stretch hosts 18-20 big schools, with many conducting mid-term examinations. Several students took up to 1.5 hours more to return home. The Varthur-Gunjur stretch, part of SH-35, is undergoing infrastructure works being executed by Karnataka Road Development Corporation. “Today, some children took nearly 2.5 hours to cover just 4km from school. Swati Kumari, another resident of Candor Landmark, said she waited nearly 45 minutes for her son’s school bus before deciding to take him on a two-wheeler. Though his school ends by 2.45pm, he’s been reaching home around 4.30pm in the past month. Referring to the ongoing works on SH-35, Limbavali said: “We are doing our best to clear all hurdles slowing down the project.
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Parents told TOI children reached exam halls anxious after school buses arrived late at pickup points and were subsequently caught in gridlocked traffic. Parents said Thursday’s situation highlighted how ongoing infrastructure issues were directly affecting schoolchildren. Priti Singh, a resident of Candor Landmark Apartments, said the biggest concern was that schools had exams. “It is unbelievable an area contributing significantly to the city’s economy continues to suffer from such poor infrastructure,” she added. Another resident, Pavitra Holla, said children were spending more time in traffic than in classrooms. Children are forced to sit in dust and traffic for hours,” she said. The scooter ride took me more than an hour to travel barely 1km,” she said. Calling the commute unsafe, Kumari said parents are increasingly worried about putting young children on two-wheelers given recent accidents and the condition of the road. BOX Mahadevapura MLA stuck for 1hr Mahadevapura MLA Manjula Limbavali said she, too, was affected by Thursday’s traffic congestion and ended up reaching two of her scheduled events nearly an hour late. Despite police assistance, I was delayed by nearly an hour,” she said.
The evening commute was worse. Some schools accommodated affected students by providing extra time to complete exams. However, residents say the corridor continues to be plagued by bottlenecks, damaged road surfaces, large craters and unmanaged traffic, making the daily commute unpredictable. They are exhausted, parents are worried and there is no end in sight. There are no proper roads, heavy vehicles move during school hours, traffic management is absent and basic infrastructure is missing. Holla added that while congestion has been a long-standing issue in the area, conditions have deteriorated in the past two weeks. For some parents, the situation left them with little choice but to abandon school buses and attempt the journey themselves. “My son studies in a school less than 2km away from home. “I’m always punctual for my events. “I completely agree with the concerns raised by residents. Even I was among those bearing the brunt of the traffic. I was travelling on Old Airport Road and Sarjapur Road and experienced the congestion firsthand,” she added. There are serious issues related to land acquisition, and I agree that the work is progressing slowly. Our focus is on resolving these challenges and completing the project as early as possible. She added, “Traffic volumes in this area are mind-boggling. We are constantly exploring measures to improve traffic flow and minimise inconvenience to commuters. Download the TOI App.