Dubai: How Schools Manage Traffic With Special Parkings, Crossing Zones

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Published: Mon 26 Aug 2024, 4:13 PM

Last updated: Mon 26 Aug 2024, 9:17 PM

Schools resumed on Monday after a two-month long summer break, leading to a temporary anticipated traffic congestion in school districts and surrounding roads.

Experts and educators explained sometimes the bottle necks around school areas happen due to some parents stopping longer in front of schools to drop off or pick up their children.

However, to alleviate traffic issues in these areas, schools across all emirates designated parking and crossing zones, along with a skilled security team to manage and direct traffic, ensuring a smooth flow for both parents and students.

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Matthew Burfield, Senior Vice President – Education, GEMS Education and Executive Principal/CEO, GEMS Founders School – Dubai said,“There's been a huge investment from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). When we opened this school nine years ago, there was a single-lane road at the front. There was no road at the back. We've now got a six-lane highway at the front, and we've got RTA car park all the way along the back of the school zone.”

He explained that despite this, there are still some challenges during peak windows.“We encourage parents to come in early when the gates open at 7am and drop their children off and then head off to work. It's when everybody decides to come at that 7.20am window that it gets a bit difficult. So, we do our best to manage it. It will be a bit tricky this first week, and then we'll find the natural balance, and things will work out perfectly.”

School leaders also highlighted that instead of just managing the situation, they believe in taking a proactive approach to manage traffic.

This entails regularly meeting with all the schools and their representatives along the road and coordinating schedules.

Notably, the road near GEMS Founders features several other schools along the same route, including GEMS Al Barsha National School and Dubai Heights Academy, among others.

“It was a busy school site from the day of opening, and since then more schools have been added on this road. We meet all the schools along this road, from the bottom with GWA to Barsha Heights, all the way along to Kings Al Barsha on the other side of Umm Sequim, and we all adjust our timings," said Burfield.

"Our managers of school operations meet, talk, adjust the timings, and change them slightly. We can't obviously have hours between, but we try to make sure all those 10-15, minute windows are built within. Therefore, we start very early. We open our gates at 7am and children start coming in at that time. But Brighton College, for instance, will open about 30-45 minutes later, so we've got that balance, and they'll finish later, and we'll finish slightly earlier,” he added.

School leaders also emphasised that when children use the school bus, it not only ensures their safe and timely arrival but also significantly reduces traffic congestion in the areas surrounding the school. This helps to ease flow of vehicles during peak hours, making the roads safer and more accessible for everyone in the community.

“There are never enough roads and there is never enough parking space, so I'm not going to pretend it's all taken care of, but what we've done systematically through the years is really improve the STS service in terms of the amount of routes going through," said Burfield.

"We've got bus routes across all of Dubai with over two thirds of the kids coming to school on buses. That by itself manages the traffic really well in our school, because they are given priority into entering and exiting the site. We make sure we stop traffic and bring the buses in first and that then they leave first,” he added.

Meanwhile, some institutions also shared a handbook with parents before students started school to ensure a smooth start to the year.

Sarah Weaver, Principal at Mamoura British Academy, said,“We have a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan in place in order to ensure that we uphold the highest possible safety standards for our students entering and exiting the school. The key is making certain that families know where to go and where to park and this is supported through meticulous planning and excellent signage to support parents in navigating the school grounds.”

To manage the traffic around school areas, institutions have dedicated parking and crossing points in place, with proficient security teams managing and directing traffic to ensure a smooth transition for parents and students.

Tracy Crowder-Chloe, Principal, Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, said,“We also have our dedicated senior leadership team stationed at every gate and drop-off point to assist parents. We are working closely with the Saadiyat Management office to address any traffic issues promptly and find solutions on the spot."

“We have implemented a staggered approach during the first two weeks of school to help our FS1 students acclimate to a classroom setting with short visits and interactions with their teachers and classmates,” added the head teacher.

Additionally, some schools have been reminding families to park and drive safely, urging families to walk down to school if they live in close proximity.

“There have been some changes regarding parking and traffic around The Aquila School, and since the safety of our community is of the utmost importance to us, over the last few weeks we have shared messages reminding families to remember to park and drive safely around school. We have also urged them to walk to school wherever possible,” said Wayne Howsen, Principal, The Aquila School.

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