“La rue aux écoles”, a car-free experiment to ensure the safety of schoolchildren in Auch

Banning access to cars around the five schools of Aoutputines is the experiment that will take place between May 22 and June 2 in the city. The objective of this symbolic test phase: to guarantee the safety of the pupils and to promote soft mobility (bicycle, scooter, walk…). An initiative that is slowly starting to take hold, particularly in French cities such as Paris, Bordeaux and Lille.

Charline Dumont, assistant director of education, is delighted to be able to test this device which, according to her, will allow “to calm the entrance to the classroom with less stress to park and fewer delays”.

The five schools in the city are affected by this process with temporary pedestrianization from 7:30 to 8:30. For the Pont National and Arago schools, the test will take place from 22 to 26 May. For Guynemer, Rouget-de-Lisle and Condorcet, it will take place from 29 May to 2 June.

“We chose this period because May is the month of cycling and also because the climate lends itself quite well… normally,” says Charline Dumont. The elected official adds that residents and parents of the students have been notified of the move in advance.

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To make entry into the classroom as easy as possible, temporary parking lots will be created by municipal decree. Numbering about ten per school, these places will be “minute stops” that will allow parents to park while taking their child to school and to leave a few minutes later to make room for another parent.

Residents will therefore be forced to move their vehicles from these places in this hour of trivialization. A “symbolic” test with multiple advantages according to those elected.

Safety, ecology and human relations

This “school road” concept has several goals. Firstly, improve the safety of children around schools and avoid dangerous situations caused by motorists.

It must also make it possible to reduce the concentration of pollution in the air when hundreds of children go to class, encouraging them to favor gentle mobility to drive their child, especially for short journeys. A final aspect is proposed, that of human relationships with parents who will have more time to discuss with others at the moment of dropping out of school.

Aoutputins can already express their opinion on this experiment on the participatory platform https://agirpourmaville.auch.fr/