A year-long pilot initiative to improve road safety in school zones has revealed serious gaps in basic infrastructure around several municipal schools in Mumbai’s Andheri area.
The project, titled ‘Strengthening Road Safety for Children and Adolescents’, was implemented by the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) and the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CACR) across schools in the K-East Ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Conducted with support from the BMC’s Education Department, the initiative aimed to raise awareness among stakeholders and help schools identify areas requiring improvement to ensure safer road conditions for students.
The programme, which ran from February 2025 to March 2026, was based on a framework developed by the Centre for Environmental Education. As part of the initiative, 94 students were trained as ‘road safety messengers’, while 57 teachers were designated as ‘road safety ambassadors’. Overall, the programme reached 2,609 students across 34 municipal schools in the ward.
A School Road Safety Audit conducted in August 2025 across the 34 schools highlighted several infrastructure deficiencies that could pose risks to students. The audit found that many schools lacked clearly visible ‘School Zone’ signboards, speed limit signage and distance warning boards.
It also revealed that footpaths near school zones were often missing, damaged or encroached upon, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. In addition, heavy traffic congestion during school arrival and dispersal hours, random parking near school gates and the absence of designated drop-off zones were identified as key safety concerns for children.
To address these issues, the project adopted a participatory approach involving teachers, students and local communities. The trained peer leaders have conducted 180 sessions on road safety, reaching more than 2,600 students. School Safety Committees have also been set up in all 34 participating schools to coordinate safety measures and identify concerns. These committees have already held 144 meetings.
`Audit finds basic road safety infrastructure around many schools in K-East Ward inadequate`
“Creating safer school environments and improving traffic management during arrival and dispersal hours are essential. The audit indicates that basic road safety infrastructure around many schools in K-East Ward is inadequate. It requires special coordinated support from the traffic police and local authorities,” said Gorakhnath Bhavri, Administrative Officer (Schools), K-East Ward.
Surekha Marathe, headmistress of Marol Police Camp Marathi Municipal School, said both students and teachers have been equipped to serve as long-term advocates of road safety within their communities.
“Both peer leaders and teachers have been equipped to serve as long-term road safety advocates within their schools. They are the backbone of student engagement, cascading road safety knowledge through their classrooms and communities,” she said.
Officials said the impact of the initiative is already visible in some schools. At Nityanand Municipal School near the Western Express Highway, issues such as the absence of speed breakers and traffic congestion due to a shared gate were addressed after the intervention. Speed breakers, zebra crossings and school zone signboards have since been installed, and separate entry and exit gates introduced to manage student movement more safely.
The programme also emphasised community participation, with 965 community members sensitised about road safety. These included auto-rickshaw unions as well as delivery partners.
Going forward, organisers plan to expand the initiative to additional schools in Mumbai. They also aim to establish periodic monitoring mechanisms and hold joint review meetings with civic and traffic authorities to ensure sustained implementation of road safety measures around schools.
