The Greens Call for Greater Commitment to Safe Routes to School

The Greens in the Saxon State Parliament are calling on policymakers to do more to ensure safe routes to school. This call comes as the new school year begins in the Free State of Saxony on Monday. 

“Our goal must be to design roads and routes to school in such a way that children can travel safely and as independently as possible. A safe route to school should not depend on whether a municipality currently has enough money or planning capacity,” emphasized State Representative Katja Meier. Safe crossings, good visibility, continuous walking and biking paths, and appropriate speed limits could tangibly reduce risks. 

The Greens cite the follow-up costs of accidents as an argument

The Greens had already submitted a motion on this topic to the state parliament. “The human suffering that a serious accident causes for children and their families is reason enough to act. But it is also economically unwise to cut corners on traffic safety,” argued Meier. Investing in prevention today can help avoid high accident-related costs tomorrow. In Saxony alone, these costs amounted to approximately 1.46 billion euros last year.

State program aims to ensure safe routes to school

“With our motion, we in the Alliance 90/The Greens are calling, among other things, for significantly expand ‘Wege-Checks’ and secure long-term funding for them, provide greater support for safe crossings and continuous walking and biking paths, introduce mandatory school route plans, and launch a statewide funding program called ‘Safe School Routes,’” emphasized Meier. The goal is to reduce the number of serious accidents involving children and young people by at least 50 percent by 2030.