Parents often worry about their children's safety due to traffic and therefore drive them to school or leisure activities. In doing so, they themselves contribute to a high volume of traffic. These well-intentioned "parent cabs" often lead to dangerous situations in front of school buildings.
For parents to be able to let their children travel independently without worry, routes through the city must be safe. The city of Bonn is therefore improving both cycling and walking facilities and expanding local public transport to promote safe and environmentally friendly mobility. This is also worthwhile for the future, as the mobility skills acquired in childhood and adolescence often determine how the adults of the future will be mobile.
Independent mobility for children has many advantages
However, children's mobility is not just about safety. Being able to make their own way through the city is an important experience for children that helps them grow, gives them self-confidence and promotes independence.
An active journey to school also has a positive effect on children's health. Those who walk, cycle or scoot outside in the morning have already been physically active and can then concentrate better in class. Orientation skills are also strengthened when the surroundings are actively perceived and not just whizzing past behind the window pane. Independent mobility can therefore promote children's cognitive and motor development. In pairs or small groups, children also look out for each other and strengthen their social relationships at the same time.
School mobility management
Because school is one of the most common reasons for children and young people to be on the move, the city is paying particular attention to the routes to school in Bonn. With school mobility management (SSM), it supports schools and parents in promoting children's independent mobility.
Introduced in summer 2023, school mobility management in Bonn is part of the climate plan and includes a range of measures:
- Pilot project school route plans
In a two-stage pilot project, walking school route plans are being developed for four elementary school and cycling school route plans for secondary schools. The schools are receiving external support in order to establish uniform standards for school route plans. The finished school route plans are to be presented in the second quarter of 2025. - Development and evaluation of school zones
Another part of the initiative is the systematic evaluation of the school environment in order to improve safety at critical crossings. To this end, an evaluation system will first be developed that classifies the respective safety level. This will then be used to draw up a catalog of measures specifically tailored to children's traffic skills. - Promoting communities of movement
So that children do not have to walk or cycle to school alone, so-called "walking buses" or "bicycle buses" can be formed. As part of school mobility management, guidelines are being drawn up to advise schools and parents on such exercise groups, depending on the age and ability of the children. - Digital school travel portal
A digital school travel portal is to serve as a central information platform and bundle all relevant measures to promote safe and climate-friendly travel to school and physical activity at school. - Reducing pick-up and drop-off traffic
In order to improve the often tense traffic situation in front of schools, the concept for pick-up and drop-off traffic (so-called parent cabs) is to be optimized. In a pilot project, several elementary school in Bonn are currently increasing safety outside their gates by creating temporary school streets. Using mobile barrier beacons and appropriate traffic signs, the schools only allow authorized traffic on the access road to the school before the start of lessons. This significantly reduces the volume of traffic in front of the school. - "Bicycle-friendly school" award
In order to recognize the commitment of schools, an award for "bicycle-friendly schools" is being introduced. This initiative is intended to help promote the independent mobility of pupils by bicycle.
School mobility management also includes other campaigns such as the "Traffic Tamer" program (opens in a new tab) of the Future Mobility Network NRW, the RaBo cycle course and the "CarFree Day" (opens in a new tab). Regular training courses for teachers and the continuation and development of working groups are also part of the initiative.