A school in South Delhi has come up with an innovative design solution to turn the area around the building into a safe zone. Called '250 Metres Of Happiness', a road stretch just outside the DAV Public School in Vasant Kunj has been redesigned under the pilot project, mostly by children. It aims to create a safer environment for children commuting to and from school.
The "safe corridor" outside the school features table-top crossings, landscaped and shaded waiting areas, murals on the walls, play pockets, a cycling track and a regulated traffic management system.
"Earlier, we didn't feel safe here because of the vehicles; a few times, they hit some girls. But after the '250 Meter of Happiness' initiative, we feel safe here," a student said.
This marks India's first government-led school safety zone under the 'Safe School Zone Initiative' launched by Lead Agency for Road Safety, Transport Department, GNCTD in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D), with HumanQind as their lead partner for safer school zones.
"Actually, when we started the project, Ruchi Varma, CEO of (NGO) HumanQind, came to our school as a mentor from NITI Aayog and asked if she could interact with students aged 3 to 6. She began the interactions in class, and it was then that the children showed their ability to think and imagine through these engagements," said Priyanka Tyagi, Principal of DAV School.
The design was conceived by students of DAV Public School, shows their proactive involvement in creating a safer community.
"The project benefits nearly 10,000 students from four nearby schools by ensuring a secure journey," added Ms Varma.
'Safe School Zone Initiative' underscores a growing focus on child safety, as India faces an alarming rate of road accidents involving school children. HumanQind highlights the gravity of the issue, noting that 45 students lose their lives daily in road accidents, equating to the loss of an entire classroom each day.
"We need to enforce strict rules. This project should be implemented at a national level and made mandatory across the country. We have made our cities car-friendly, but we haven't made them people-friendly," said Dr Mathew Varghese, Orthopedic Surgeon, St Stephen's Hospital.
Located right next to a busy road in Vasant Kunj, this school has raised crossings or traffic calming placed in front to control vehicle speed. The paintings on the school walls are not only a message for the students but also for the general public passing by.
"The "20" written here signifies that the speed of motor vehicles outside any school should not exceed 20 kilometers per hour because at this speed, accidents cause minimal harm," told Professor Geetam Tiwari, IIT Delhi.