Mumbai’s First School Road Safety Pilot Exposes Major Infrastructure Gaps

Last Updated:March 14, 2026, 09:35 IST

Launched in February 2025 and concluding in March 2026, the project engaged 34 municipal schools and reached over 2,600 students.

Mumbai has taken a significant step toward improving road safety for children, with a pilot initiative in the Andheri area revealing serious infrastructure gaps around municipal schools.

The year-long project, titled “Strengthening Road Safety for Children and Adolescents," was implemented by UNICEF and the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CACR) across schools in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s K-East Ward. Conducted with support from the BMC Education Department, the initiative aimed to raise awareness about road safety and help schools identify risks affecting students.

Launched in February 2025 and concluding in March 2026, the project engaged 34 municipal schools and reached over 2,600 students. It also trained teachers and students to act as advocates for safer roads within their communities. As part of the initiative, a School Road Safety Audit carried out in August 2025 highlighted several alarming deficiencies around school zones.

The audit found that many schools lacked basic safety infrastructure such as clearly visible “School Zone" signboards, speed limit indicators and distance warning boards. In several areas, footpaths were either missing, damaged or encroached upon, forcing children and other pedestrians to walk directly on busy roads.

Traffic congestion during school arrival and dispersal hours was another major concern. Random parking near school gates and the absence of designated drop-off zones further increased the risk for students. To address these issues, the project adopted a participatory approach involving both teachers and students.

A total of 57 teachers were trained as “Road Safety Ambassadors," while 94 students were designated as “Road Safety Messengers." These student leaders conducted 180 awareness sessions across participating schools.

School Safety Committees were also formed in all 34 schools, holding 144 meetings to discuss safety concerns and coordinate local solutions.

“Creating safer school environments and managing traffic during school hours is essential. The audit shows that basic road safety infrastructure around many schools in K-East Ward is inadequate and requires coordinated action from traffic police and local authorities," said Gorakhnath Bhavri, Administrative Officer (Schools), K-East Ward.

Early results are already visible. At Nityanand Municipal School near the Western Express Highway, speed breakers, zebra crossings and school zone signage were installed following the audit.

Separate entry and exit gates were also introduced to manage student movement safely. The project also engaged the wider community, sensitising nearly 965 residents and local stakeholders, including auto unions and delivery partners.

Encouraged by the results, organisers now plan to expand the model to more schools across Mumbai while introducing regular monitoring and joint reviews with civic and traffic authorities to ensure long-term impact.

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