Mumbai: In a first-ever road safety initiative in Mumbai, UNICEF and the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CACR) implemented a pilot project "Strengthening Road Safety for Children and Adolescents" across the schools in BMC K-East Ward, Andheri area, for a year.
The project was implemented with the support of the BMC Education Department to raise awareness among stakeholders and help schools identify areas for improvement for road safety. It also promoted healthcare and support-seeking behaviour among students.
The project was based on a framework developed by the Centre for Environmental Education. It created 94 Messengers from the students, for Road Safety and 2,609 students reached out from 34 schools. The project also created 57 Road Safety Ambassadors. The project was started in February 2025 and went on till March 2026.
A School Road Safety Audit was conducted in August 2025 across 34 municipal schools in the K-East Ward, which highlighted severe infrastructure deficiencies posing risks to students. Key findings indicated that most schools lack clearly visible "School Zone" signboards, speed limit signage or distance warnings. Furthermore, the audit revealed that footpaths in school zones are often missing, damaged or encroached upon, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. Heavy traffic congestion during arrival and dispersal times, coupled with random parking near school gates and a lack of designated drop-off zones, has created unsafe conditions for children.
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To combat these challenges, the project adopted a participatory approach. So far, 57 teachers have been trained as "Road Safety Ambassadors," and 94 student peer leaders have been equipped as "Road Safety Messengers." These peer leaders have already conducted 180 sessions, reaching over 2,600 students. Additionally, School Safety Committees (SSC) have been established in all 34 enrolled schools to lead coordination efforts, having already conducted 144 meetings to identify safety concerns.
"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," Gorakhnath Bhavri, Administrative Officer (Schools), K-East Ward, said.
"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," Surekha Marathe, HM, Marol Police Camp Marathi Municipal School said.
The impact of these interventions is already visible. At Nityanand Municipal School, located near the Western Express Highway, key issues such as the absence of speed breakers and traffic congestion due to a shared gate were addressed. Post-intervention, speed breakers, zebra crossings and school zone signboards were installed and separate entry and exit gates were introduced to manage student movement safely.
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