While Amsterdam is often cited as a great example of a walkable, bike-friendly, and public transit-oriented city, this wasn’t always the case. In the 1970s, it was just another car-dominated city, hostile to people – especially children. Then, they decided to do one crucial thing that changed everything: they PUT CHILDREN FIRST. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01lw88k] That was it! The main reason Amsterdam is now a lovely walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented city is that its residents got together and told the city to prioritised the lives of children over the needs of motorists.

So why aren’t all cities adopting this approach? Shouldn’t every city prioritize children? The only moral answer is yes. While some may argue, “It’s not that simple,” the truth is, it really is quite straightforward. Whenever cities make infrastructure decisions, the first question should be: “How can we make this infrastructure as safe as possible for everyone?” Additionally, city leaders need to ask at a strategic level: “What is our plan to achieve Zero Pedestrian, Bike, and Car deaths?” Many cities claim to have a Zero Road Deaths goal, but few are genuinely committed to it, often placing cars ahead of human lives.

Among all the areas for safety improvements, schools should be a top priority. If we can’t prioritize children’s lives over cars, what does that say about our cities and society? The good news is that we are witnessing a global movement dedicated to making school streets safer, and it truly spans the globe. In New York City, USA, there’s Vision Zero Schools. In the UK, we have Safe Routes to School. In Mexico City, Mexico, there’s Calle Escuela. Tokyo, Japan, has a School Zone Safety Program. Copenhagen, Denmark, is implementing the Streets for Kids initiative. Of significant note is Paris which has gone all in and launched the “Programme de rues scolaires sûres”, aiming to establish over 100 safe, green streets for children by 2026. [Link] This ambitious program has already made significant strides, converting car-dominated streets into spaces for people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezPzocuqKPc

Many of the new school streets in Paris have developed a vibrant life of their own, transforming into “third places” for parents to gather. They now host pop-up play areas, community workshops, art installations, book libraries, gardening initiatives, and family engagement events. These Safe Street programs not only enhance safety but also improve the overall quality of life in the city. When cities fully commit to making school streets safer, they create better environments for everyone. Shouldn’t every city strive to implement similar initiatives?

While it may not be feasible for every school, we can start by identifying those streets where it’s relatively easy, just as Paris has done. For anyone curious to learn more, there are many online resources that offer inspiration and guidance for setting up a Safe School Streets initiative. This PDF is a particularly helpful resource which provides a wide variety of information on making streets safer in general: https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/designing-streets-for-kids/.

Another excellent resource is this site, filled with valuable information, links and inspiration: https://www.childhealthinitiative.org/.

It may be worth googling “Your City Name” and School Safe Streets and seeing if there isn’t already a local organisation to support.

From New York: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U16CpAM1rFY.

There should be no excuses for inaction. Once the dangers are made clear to public officials, prioritizing safety must be a top concern. Nobody wants to read headlines like, “Man charged with manslaughter after boy is killed by a car outside school,” or see quotes like the one above.

Spread the word….

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https://owgf.org/2024/09/29/shouldnt-every-school-have-safe-streets/