More and more school streets in Amsterdam
Closing the street to car traffic for half an hour at the beginning and end of the school day. That is a way to make the area around primary schools quieter and safer. Currently, Amsterdam has 15 school streets, and the plan is to add 10 more each year.
“Reactions to a school street proposal are usually positive,” says Caroline Dekker, project manager of the Safe Walking and Cycling Program for the City of Amsterdam. “It primarily creates a sense of calm around the school.” Teachers, parents, and local residents alike see that the familiar traffic chaos during drop-off and pick-up times is reduced thanks to the creation of a school street.
Dekker: “The school street actually forces parents to change their behaviour. You see parents driving their children to school because it’s so chaotic around the school. They say: it’s too unsafe for my child to cycle or walk. But going by car makes it even more unsafe. It’s a vicious cycle. The school street breaks that.”
School’s initiative
The initiative for a school street must come from the school or the parents, as they will play a key role in establishing and ensuring its operation. Every day someone is needed to actually close off the street twice a day with a fence or a post. This can be the responsibility of a janitor, a teacher, or parents.
If the school or parents indicate they want a school street and are able to implement it, the municipality takes action. The municipality facilitates the process. The first step is to assess the suitability of the location for a school street. It must be a one-way street and emergency services must approve it. If this is the case, a pilot phase begins, during which the closure is announced and tested for three months. During the pilot, safety improvements are assessed: the municipality will visit the location, consult the school and parents, and conduct a survey among local residents and businesses. If the results are positive, the school street will be implemented permanently.
Sometimes additional measures are taken. Such as at the Nicolaas Maesschool in Amsterdam South, where three parking spaces have been reserved for parking of cargo bikes during the half-hour periods of the school street, because local residents were hindered by carelessly parked cargo bikes.
Emergency services
Not all streets near schools are suitable as school streets. The street must be one-way, so that residents are able to exit the street by car. Emergency services must also have access.
Currently, school streets are being tested at four primary school locations: the Nicolaas Maes School in city district South, De Mijlpaal Primary School in Nieuw-West, IJplein Primary School in North, and at two schools in Weesp located on the same street: the Van der Muelen-Vastwijk School and De Triangel Primary School.
Amsterdam aims to expand the number of school streets in the coming years. Alderman Melanie van der Horst’s intention is to establish 10 school streets annually.
