New school streets in Favoriten: Safety for our children now!

New school streets in Favoriten: Safety for our children now!

Today the city of Vienna presented an important measure in the fight against morning traffic in front of schools in Favoriten. How oe24 reports, two new school streets will be set up for the Neulandschule and the GTVS Kempelengasse. This concept not only benefits students but also helps improve safety in school environments.

Explained in detail, the main problem is the high volume of traffic, which often leads to dangerous situations. Cars often park and stop in no-parking zones and children move between vehicles. The city has therefore decided to introduce school streets. The aim is to both increase the safety of the students and relieve traffic in front of the schools. This proven concept has already been successfully implemented in cities such as Bozen, Bregenz and Salzburg.

Safe routes to school thanks to driving bans

The new school streets stipulate that vehicle traffic on Alxingergasse in front of the Neulandschule will be closed between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Traffic will also be stopped in the dead end in front of GTVS Kempelengasse between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. before and after school starts. During these times, access for cars, trucks and motorcycles is prohibited to ensure a smooth and safe route to school.

Of course, there are exceptions: ambulances, school buses, public transport and roadside services such as garbage collection or police are still allowed to pass through. There are special passage regulations for cycling, so that the needs of the students are taken into account here too.

Preparation and communication with neighbors

To ensure that the measure is implemented well, the responsible authorities have already held information evenings at the schools. These took place on October 7th and 8th to inform residents and to be open to possible questions. “At least there is something going on when it comes to the safety of our children,” explained a resident who supports the planned measure.

There has been a school street in front of the Keplerplatz elementary school since January 8, 2024, which has received positive feedback. Compared to other European countries, Vienna has a pleasing number of school streets: around 26.1% of primary schools have already introduced corresponding measures, just behind London with 26.9%.

Overall, Vienna shows that it has a good hand when it comes to the safety of children on the roads. The new school roads will certainly help parents use the car less and children can get to school as safely as possible.