Collecting points for rewards by walking or cycling to school
This school year, the ‘High-Five’ program was launched at four primary schools in city district Amsterdam Zuidoost and two in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. With this program, more than 1,700 primary school children can collect points and earn rewards by walking or cycling to school. At the beginning and end of the school day, it is often busy around schools, because many children are brought by car. The municipality hopes to make traffic around schools safer by encouraging children and parents to come to school by bike or on foot.
Alderwoman Melanie van der Horst: “It is often very busy around schools. In particular, pick-up and drop-off traffic by car creates unsafe situations. That is why we want to encourage all children and parents to come on foot or by bike. The High-Five program makes this more attractive.”
Collecting points
High-Five encourages children to collect points in a playful way. With, for example, superhero ‘Five’ from a parallel universe, who asks children to help save his home planet. They can do this with points that they collect on their walk or cycle ride to school. High-Five signs are placed along their walking route. If the children touch them with their medallion, they collect points. Children on bikes can scan their medallion in the schoolyard. With the collected points, they can help Five and earn rewards that have to do with exercise at school, such as sports equipment.
Signs along the route to school where the children scan their medallion to collect points.
Focus on road safety and exercise
In addition to encouraging cycling and walking, the High-Five program focuses on related themes. In the fall on road safety, e.g. good lights on bicycles. In the spring on exercise, with the health benefits of walking and cycling as central focus.
In city districts Zuidoost and Nieuw-West, people cycle less and there are often unsafe traffic situations around schools due to the large amount of car pick-up and drop-off traffic. After previous successes with the program in Belgium and Rotterdam, the municipality of Amsterdam has decided to implement High-Five here as well. The program runs for the entire school year. After this year, schools have the option to extend it. The municipality is monitoring the results.
