‘Share the street, drive 30’: municipality actively involves children and youth in campaign

Driving slower is safer for everyone, especially for children and youth participating in traffic. They are vulnerable in traffic, especially on 50 km/h roads. A driver going 30 km/h sees more and can stop much faster. This makes a big difference for children cycling or walking to school. By actively involving children and youth in the campaign, they learn how important safe behavior in traffic is. Whether you cycle, walk, or drive. 

Alderman Tyas Bijlholt (Mobility and Education): “Children and youth must be able to safely walk and cycle to school, sports, or friends. They know very well what they experience in traffic. That is why we actively involve them in this campaign. By talking with them, we not only make Amersfoort safer now. We also invest in the road users of the future.”

StreetTalk at MBO Amersfoort 

Especially for youth, the StreetTalk project came to MBO Amersfoort on Wednesday, January 21, at Leusderweg. On this street, the speed limit will be lowered to 30 km/h from January 30. With the StreetTalk cart and a knowledge wheel, supervisors engaged interactively with students. Alderman Bijlholt also spoke with participating students. With provocative questions and interesting facts and statements, youth were challenged to think about traffic safety and their own behavior in traffic. How do they experience traffic and what choices do they make themselves as cyclists, pedestrians, passengers, or drivers. 

The positive norm ‘keeping to the speed limit is normal’ is promoted. At the end of the StreetTalk on traffic safety, students wrote their names on the StreetTalk cart as a sign that they support this norm. 

Primary schools receive campaign poster and teaching materials 

There is also attention for primary schools. In cooperation with Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN), all schools in Amersfoort received a campaign poster with the message: “Share the street with the children – The street belongs to all of us.” 
The municipality asked schools to hang the poster in a visible place in January and February. This also reminds parents of the importance of 30 km/h, especially on routes where children walk and cycle to school. 

In addition, the municipality pointed schools to the teaching materials from VVN. With these, children learn how to safely participate in traffic. The speed reduction from January 30 offers a good moment to give extra attention to this subject in class.