"Safe Roads to School" is a project dedicated to ensuring the safety of children on their way to and from school. It aims to gain a better understanding of how students perceive road safety by actively involving them in the process of creating a safer environment around schools in Cluj-Napoca.The project addresses challenges related to child safety on streets near schools, assessing the current state of road infrastructure and signage, the road safety culture, and collaboration between stakeholders to define and manage safe school zones.
The project aims to:
· establish a better understanding of the needs of students, parents, and teachers regarding travel to and from school.
· work within a multisectoral framework to develop a set of concrete measures and recommendations for improving safety around schools, encouraging walking or cycling.
· advocate for mandatory speed limits of 30 km/h in the vicinity of schools.
Through multisectoral collaboration between the Cluj-Napoca City Hall, the Cluj School Inspectorate, the Cluj County Police Inspectorate, InIm Institute, the Public Health Department of UBB Cluj-Napoca, and other institutions, the project seeks to create a model of best practices that can be scaled and replicated nationally.
The activities of the “Safe Roads to School” project aim to enhance the safety of children on public roads in Cluj-Napoca. Through research, a tailored Action Plan, educational campaigns, and a Best Practices Guide, the project works to create a secure environment around schools. Community involvement through working groups ensures sustainable collaboration and establishes a model for safety.
The first phase of the “Safe Roads to School” project is participatory research, coordinated by experts from Babeș-Bolyai University. This phase involves assessing the road safety culture around 10 pilot schools in Cluj-Napoca, identifying risk areas, and analyzing the travel behavior of students. The research will provide a detailed overview of the current challenges related to child safety and guide the planning of future interventions.
Based on the collected data, the Multisectoral Working Group for Child Safety, coordinated by the Cluj-Napoca City Hall, will develop an Action Plan. This plan will include concrete measures to improve safety around schools, such as speed reduction regulations, school-zone-specific infrastructure adaptations, and awareness campaigns. The Action Plan will serve as a key resource for implementing necessary changes and as a model for other cities.
A crucial aspect of the project is educating and raising awareness among students, parents, and teachers about the importance of traffic safety. Through dedicated campaigns, we will encourage parents to adopt responsible behavior on public roads and provide students with essential road safety information. These campaigns will be conducted through school workshops, informational sessions, and community events.
At the conclusion of the project, the team will create a Best Practices Guide for ensuring children’s safety on their way to school. This guide will include public policy recommendations, expert advice, and examples of concrete measures that schools can implement to protect students. It will serve as a reference tool for educational institutions, offering tested and adaptable solutions that can be implemented and scaled to other schools and cities.
In addition to the Multisectoral Working Group for Child Safety, the project includes the creation of sub-working groups involving parents, children, teachers, and key community stakeholders. These groups will actively contribute to the development and implementation of safety interventions and ensure an effective communication channel between the community and local authorities. Active community involvement is essential for the project's success and for creating a safe and accessible environment for all children in Cluj-Napoca.
