INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CHILDREN SAFETY IN PUBLIC PLACES B.G.Sreedevi Director,

CHILD SAFETY  The systematic, planned prevention, and reduction of accidents through selecting safe equipment ;  Reducing hazardous conditions ;  Providing information and supervision that identifies potential hazards and how to avoid them.

Physical Risk. Exposed to challenges and hazards Emotional Risk. Exposure to expressions of anger, trust, and fear Supervisory Risk. The decision that adults make when observing children engaged in interaction (Intervention vs. Distant Observation) TYPE OF RISK

– Walking or running into the path of vehicles; – Climbing through gates and fences to drown in water bodies; – Standing up in shopping carts or other wheeled devices and falling onto concrete floors; – Latching themselves in refrigerators and car trucks; – Contact with hot surfaces; – Walking into the path of swings on playgrounds. POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN PUBLIC PLACES

 Road Safety  Water Safety  Play ground/Park safety  Fire /Electrical Safety  Security SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS AT PUBLIC PLACES

o Development of playscape areas; o Security/Supervision; o Paving Materials; o Land Scaping; o Boundary/Fencing; o Soft contained play equipments; o Demarcating safe areas/zones. PLAYGROUND/PARK SAFETY

ROAD SAFETY  Road transport is the most complex and the most unsafe mode of transportation;  Pedestrians and cyclists are the major group at risk of death, injury and disability on the road;  Among vulnerable road users some users are more at risk than others, especially children.

What Statistics says? As per World Health Organization:  For every 1 person who dies in a road traffic crash, 20 are injured.  1 in 20 of those injured are left with a disability. In case of children  1 child is killed in road accidents, every 3 minutes in the world

Children are at more risk than others – Why?  Less able to judge danger and cross roads safely as adults;  Don't have the experience to judge the speed & distance of an on going vehicle.

The main components of the transport system are :  To identify the operational issues  To identify resource demands required during the operational life of the transport system The above components influences road safety as the first priority. Road Safety is a multi-sectoral and multidimensional issue.

ROAD SAFETY SUGGESTIONS Infrastructural Technological Educational Enforcement Environmental

Infrastructure plays an important role in road safety

Kerala has got 20,000 educational institutions having more than five million students who travel from home to schools/colleges and return home each day.

Methods need to be adopted for the effective and safe transport infrastructure which should be designed and practised for safe moving from home to school and back home

 In schools, safe and adequate pick- up/drop- off zones and short term parking areas for private vehicles should be provided.  There must be enough seating arrangement in school buses and other related vehicles

 Proper play grounds should be provided in the school, away from roads and also ban children playing on the roads.  Dedicated active NMV paths should extend to the school site boundary in at least two or more different directions.

 Traffic and road signages should be provided to clearly identify pathways, school entrances/exits, school buildings and amenities, as well as directional signage to connect external walking and cycling paths within the school surroundings.

 Mandatory road safety classes/programmes should be included in each school to train children for acquiring a safe system approach on roads.

 The door steps of vehicles using for carrying children must be low so as to get in to the vehicles by children with ease;  Priority access and path location should be given to active transport at schools with least priority given to private vehicle access;  Use of kerb extensions at all school crossing facilities;

 Bus stops near school zones should be connected with pathways that keep children from conflicting with active modes of transport.  Adequate footpaths with desirable width of 1.8 m should be provided on both sides of the roads.

 Railing barrier should be provided in footpaths which keep children away from roads.  Mandatory posting of traffic personnel’s like traffic police, wardens, security etc. at the crossing points for guiding children to safe journey.

 Wheel stoppers should be provided to avoid vehicles to occupy space on the footpath.  Introduction of new plan named “Safe Route to School” where walking and bicycle plans help to identify where traffic control should be placed around the school and along school routes.  Seating, lighting and other facilities to increase amenity such as bins should be provided at the bus stops.

 Permission of new school location should be given only if : Enough access frontage to appropriate road network; Access to existing and planned active transport networks; Adjacent to land uses which are compatible with and support the integration of the school site with these networks.

Following are the guidelines for educational buses/other vehicles: o Safety norms for carrying children in vehicles; o Experience, age and behavior of school bus drivers; o Restriction of speed limit to 40kms/hr; o Mandatory fitting of speed governor; o Restriction of aged vehicles; o Safe boarding, carriage and alighting of students; o An able bodied attendant for each door along with shutter should be available; o Emergency exit; o Common colour (Yellow) ; o Emergency number & details of school; o Regular supervising of vehicle crew ;

Steps suggested for ensuring safety at schools: Ensure high degree of road safety by taking confidence, cooperation and all possible help from the local traffic police, school offices, parents students and neighboring areas; School attendance and walking attendance boundaries should reviewed; Contd…

“Safe Route to School” walking maps should be prepared to serve all homes within the walking attendance boundaries of all elementary schools and middle schools; Local officials should take initiative to review school area footpaths, crosswalks and other traffic control devices to make sure that they are in good condition; School officials need to ensure feedback to local officials and police to help identify problems areas or maintenance needs. THANK YOU