ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, October 19th 2013 [ME NewsWire]
Traffic congestion on outer roads during peak hours in the morning or at the end of the school day is physically and mentally draining for students who reside outside Abu Dhabi. Arriving late to school, having to leave the house earlier to avoid traffic, and potential unexpected road surprises if the school bus driver is incompetent, are just a few of the resulting problems of traffic congestion.
Outlining these problems and the action undertaken by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to resolve them, Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, ADEC's Executive Director of School Operations indicated that public schools are geographically distributed to serve all neighborhoods, so that schools are conveniently located close students’ residence. “We are coordinating with the Emirates Transport to establish school bus routes in accordance with developed strategies and plans to avoid traffic. Moreover, Emirates Transport is organizing regular lectures and workshops to acquaint school bus drivers with the means to provide children’s safety before boarding and exiting school buses and while on board,” noted Al Dhaheri.
“In implementation of the five-year project for primary education stages, including kindergarten and elementary schools, the Abu Dhabi Education Council has enrolled supervisors to provide safety for students inside and outside the school bus. Furthermore, the Council is working jointly with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate to spread awareness as part of the campaign launched at the beginning of the new school year, to educate students and drivers on traffic rules,” added Al Dhaheri.
On the same note, Al Dhaheri urged parents to park their vehicles in the designated parking spaces while waiting for their children, to avoid causing traffic obstruction at the school gates.
On the same note, Adnan Abbas, Academic Advisor, Al Nahda National Schools indicated that contrary to most students who reside in Abu Dhabi, some students live in areas outside the city. He emphasized that school administrations are fully aware of traffic congestion on outer roads during peak hours, which cause students to miss their first class, because of traffic, fog or accidents; adding that handling this problem requires flexibility to understand the extraordinary delays, which do not exceed fifteen minutes in most cases.
“The school has set up a program for special cases, whereas the teacher briefs students during recess on the missed lesson; provided that the delay does not become a recurrent daily habit,” explained Abbas.
Moreover, Abbas advised parents who live outside Abu Dhabi to put their children to bed earlier so they are refreshed for the next school day. Insufficient sleep causes students to feel sleepy and prevents them from concentrating in the classroom, as they need to make the trip to school earlier in the morning to avoid traffic congestion.
For her part, Dr. Lamia Abdul Raouf (physician) stressed that parents also complain of traffic congestion upon arriving to the city center, which prompts them to leave home early. She also pointed out that university students who study in Abu Dhabi or Dubai face a significant transportation problem: “This problem must be addressed so that our children avoid delays due to traffic congestion or due to insufficient means of transportation, particularly in the morning, when employees and workers who reside outside Abu Dhabi commute back and forth from their home to the workplace,” concluded Dr. Abdul Raouf.
For his part, Colonel Khamis Ishaq Mohammad, Deputy Director of the Abu Dhabi police Traffic and Patrols Directorate called on employees who reside outside Abu Dhabi to find closer accommodation to the workplace, to avoid the hardships of commuting and driving for long hours, which may result in traffic accidents as a result of lack of focus and speeding to get to work on time.
The troubles of everyday traffic, particularly during peak hours, may result in chronic tension and stress, which poses a great risk to drivers’ life. They are also the main cause of traffic accidents, as they lead to extreme fatigue and mental stress.
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Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Traffic Congestion
Photo 2: Dr. Lamia Abdul Raouf
Photo 3: Adnan Abbas, Academic Advisor, Al Nahda National Schools
The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
Contacts:
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
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