Approximately 120 guide signs protect the footpaths at the Elly-Heuss-Knapp School
near the Elly-Heuss-Knapp School in Darmstadt on Tuesday, September 1st. The city of Darmstadt aims to prevent vehicles from driving on, stopping, or parking on sidewalks. This is intended to make the routes to school, especially for children and teenagers, safer.
According to the city, problematic situations between pedestrians and motorists repeatedly occur around the school. One cause is vehicles driving on or using the sidewalks around the school grounds for stopping and parking.
Approximately 120 guide signs will be installed
The guide rails are intended to clearly separate the roadway and the sidewalk and make it more difficult to drive on the sidewalks. A total of approximately 120 of these elements are planned.
"Especially around schools, we need to ensure that children and young people can travel to and from school safely," explains Head of Transport Paul Georg Wandrey. The guide signs will create a clearly visible demarcation of the sidewalks.
According to the city, a similar system is already in use at the Friedrich-Ebert-School. They have had good experiences with the signage there.
City appeals to parents
At the same time, the city is asking parents to avoid driving their children directly to or from the school. Especially during peak hours, so-called "parent taxis" could create chaotic traffic situations.
“Every instance of car traffic avoided directly in front of the school entrance contributes to greater safety for everyone,” said Wandrey. Parents dropping off or picking up their children by car should therefore, if possible, avoid letting them get in or out directly in front of the school building.
(DARMSTADT RED/PSD/stip)
