Dubai’s traffic police chief called on local schools to immediately sack their bus drivers who jump the red lights or drive fast and proposed cutting the speed limit for school buses to 60 kph instead of 80 kph, the press reported on Tuesday.
Major General Mohammed Al Zafin made the call at an international school transport conference which opened in Dubai on Monday, in which he also demanded a ban on 14-passenger school buses given their danger.
“The maximum speed for school buses should be 60 kph instead of 80 kph…allowing school buses to drive at 80 kph, especially on internal roads leading to schools, is not reasonable,” he said, quoted by the Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum.
“I call on all schools to sack their bus drivers who are caught jumping the red light or speeding at least twice while transporting students.”
Zafin said police had intensified their presence near schools to ensure discipline but added the patrols are not enough. He said the heavy police presence near schools was prompted by what he described as lack of discipline and anarchy at school gates.”
Zafin also urged authorities not to licence new schools unless they are built away from main roads to reduce accidents and casualties.
“Authorities should also enact laws banning the use of school minibuses with a seating capacity of 14 passengers and allowing only 9-passenger mini buses…those buses pose a threat to the lives of students given the large number of students in them and their relatively small size…they also lack any emergency roof exit as is the case with large buses,” he said.
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