The Lahore Traffic Police have instituted a ban on children sitting in the driver’s seat of rickshaws as part of a wider effort to address overloading issues with school transportation.
This initiative targets the dangerous practice of allowing children to ride alongside rickshaw drivers and discourages the hanging of school bags or other items on the sides of rickshaws.
Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Amara Athar has emphasized the need for strict enforcement of these regulations. In response, 251 traffic wardens have been deployed to monitor various educational institutions throughout the city.
However, reports suggest that these wardens are present at only a limited number of schools, leaving many others inadequately supervised. This has led to ongoing violations, with numerous overloaded school vans, rickshaws, and buses continuing to flout the new rules.
Citizens have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the enforcement, noting that inadequate supervision by wardens has resulted in an increase in road accidents. The CTO has called on parents to play an active role in identifying unsafe rickshaws and school vans and to assist the police in enforcing these regulations.
She urged parents to closely monitor their children’s transportation to ensure their safety and prevent reliance on negligent drivers.
The lack of comprehensive enforcement has frustrated many, who worry that the ongoing oversight could lead to more accidents. Parents are encouraged to stay vigilant regarding their children’s transport arrangements and not to depend solely on the enforcement measures that are currently in place.
Ensuring the safety of students remains a top priority, and active participation from both law enforcement and parents is deemed essential to achieving this goal.
