Parents doing the school run clog up the roads in front of campuses, but a new scheme aims to change that.
Some schools have enlisted morning volunteers to help manage traffic. At Shanghai Gao'an Road No. 1 Primary School in Xuhui District, volunteers and school staff escort children from vehicles to the school gate so parents do not need to stop for long.
"The parents don't even have to drive to the gate or switch to the outer lane to drop their children when the traffic is heavy in the morning," said Cai. "Some can stop the car opposite or 50 meters away from the school gate and let the children get out before the volunteers come to take the kids over. It's efficient and safe."
However, congestion around schools remains a problem later in the day.
On any given school day afternoon, two of the four lanes in front of Primary School Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Nandan Road in Xuhui District are clogged from around 2:30pm.
Cars have to wait in 100-meter queues to drive through the area, a situation worsened by mopeds stopping at the gate.
Some parents have suggested that schools open up areas on campuses for temporary parking, but it is not a universal solution.
"The advice can only be taken by schools in suburban districts that usually have more room," said Chen Guoqiang, headmaster of Shanghai Jinhua Private Middle School. "Some can even get parents to park along wide roads close to the school. However, the idea can hardly be applied to schools in the downtown area."
