SiWeKi

Safe routes for children in Bremen's Neustadt district

Unsecured crossings, poorly visible intersections, blocked paths, poorly thought-out construction sites and significant speeding are just some of the risks that pedestrians and cyclists face on their journeys through Bremen's Neustadt district.

The prevailing conditions on roads, paths and squares, which pose some challenges even for experienced adults without disabilities, are a real danger for children and people with disabilities.

We, the parents' initiative SiWeKi, which originated from the parents' councils and traffic committees of the Neustadt primary schools, want to work together with schools and authorities to create the necessary conditions so that all Neustadt residents can move around their district safely and independently – whether big or small.

To this end, we have, among other things, compiled a list of demands identifying the most critical points on the routes to school for primary school children in Neustadt, and we are continuously monitoring the processing of these demands by the authorities.

In addition, we regularly organize campaigns in cooperation with schools on the topic of school route safety in order to raise awareness among politicians and road users about the dangers and to draw attention to the need for action.

Our demands

We urge the “Department 5 – Transport” as the Supreme State Road Construction Authority / Road Traffic Authority of the “Senator for Construction, Mobility and Urban Development” as well as the “Office for Roads and Transport (ASV)” to immediately restore the safety of school routes in the Neustadt district.

We call upon the Senator for the Interior and Sport to enforce the applicable rules of the road traffic regulations through consistent traffic monitoring in the Neustadt district. We therefore expressly demand that the stopping and parking prohibitions, particularly in front of driveways, at intersections, and on sidewalks, which are generally regulated by the road traffic regulations, be enforced immediately and permanently.

Furthermore, we demand the implementation of a 30 km/h speed limit throughout the entire Neustadt district and, if not already in place, the placement of pictograms indicating the location of primary schools on all streets directly adjacent to a school. This includes the relevant sections of the following streets: Thedinghauser Straße, Karl-Lerbs-Straße, Theodor-Storm-Straße, Kornstraße, Gastfeldstraße, Kantstraße, Buntentorsteinweg, Hardenbergstraße, and Valkenburghstraße.

If you have any ideas, suggestions or wishes regarding school route safety, or if you would like to support us in our initiative work, please feel free to send us an email to siweki-bremen(at)gmail.com.