THIMPHU: With the increasing number of mishaps on the road, students in Phuentsholing have taken into their own hands the task of controlling traffic. Donning neon traffic jackets and carrying stop signs, about 50 students take turns to divert or guide vehicles, during rush hours, along the road stretching from the royal insurance corporation office to the dungkhag court. This additional responsibility, according to the principal of Phuentsholing lower secondary school (PLSS) Jigme Thinley, was given to students, in appreciation of the risks posed to them by vehicular traffic. “We had to act fast rather than wait for someone to take the responsibility,” said the principal.

The school authority earlier sought help from traffic police. “There used to be traffic police during rush hours, but it looks like they’re now short of manpower. We don’t see them often, so we thought of coming up with our own monitoring system,” Jigme Thinley said.

The town’s residents welcomed the initiative and said that they had witnessed frightening accidents on numerous occasions. A resident, Pema, whose office is located by the road, said that he witnessed one accident where a child was knocked down and two narrowly escaped a hit in the same place.

“A truck nearly ran over our friend,” said a PLSS Class 8 girl. “She narrowly escaped but was injured when she fell down out of panic,” she said.

With many parents driving to school to drop and pick up children, the road is very risky, said a mother, who waits hours at the school gate for her child. “There are so many cars going in and out of the school gate, it’s not safe,” she said.

Teachers say that many students met with minor accidents due to vehicle population and congested traffic. In 2002, a student of PLSS was killed on the spot when a vehicle ran over him.

“We always insists on parents accompanying their child to school for safety,” said the vice principal of PLSS.

The school traffic team was briefed by traffic officials and supervised by a traffic policeman. The students of afternoon shift monitor traffic in the morning, while those of morning shift monitor traffic after their classes in the afternoon.