On Monday 17 August, the new school year begins for many children, marking the start of a new chapter. This includes their journey to school. To ensure that the youngest road users are safe on their way, the City of Chemnitz is relying on close cooperation between various departments and partners.
Within the Department of Transport and Civil Engineering, the Transport Authority coordinates the School Route Safety Working Group. Together with the road maintenance authority, the traffic planning department, the education authority, the Legal and Public Order Office, the Chemnitz Police Headquarters, Chemnitz Public Transport and the Road Safety Association, the working group regularly inspects school routes, identifies danger spots and develops measures to improve road safety. The aim is to identify risks on the roads at an early stage and, where possible, to eliminate them. The safety of children in road traffic is a top priority for the City of Chemnitz.
Consequently, numerous measures were implemented during the past school year to make routes to school safer and to further improve conditions for pupils in road traffic:
30 km/h speed limit – greater safety near schools
At several sensitive locations within the city, the maximum speed limit has been reduced to 30 km/h to increase drivers’ awareness and enable children to cross the road safely:
- on Walter-Klippel-Straße between Eubaer Straße and Weißer Weg,
- on Markersdorfer Straße between Arno-Schreiter-Straße and Max-Müller-Straße (temporarily in force from Monday to Friday, 7 am to 5 pm),
- on Waldenburger Straße, the section where the speed limit has been reduced to 30 km/h has been extended to ensure safe access to the ‘Am Heim’ bus stops and the crossing on Limbacher Straße.
New regulations for greater clarity:
- ‘Ernst Busch’ School for Children with Language Needs: Pick-up points for school transport taxis have been set up on Ernst-Wabra-Straße.
- Rabenstein ‘Hans Carl von Carlowitz’ Primary School: There is a strict no-stopping zone on Trützschlerstraße, in force from Monday to Friday between 6 am and 5 pm.
- Valentina Tereshkova Primary School: The first six parking spaces on Haydnstraße, coming from the direction of Stollberger Straße, may be used for a limited time from Monday to Friday between 6 am and 8 am.
- Chemnitz Waldorf School: To improve visibility on the route to school, a strict no-stopping zone of ten metres has been introduced on Sandstraße from Monday to Friday between 6.30 am and 5 pm; in addition, a ‘Caution: Children’ traffic sign has been erected.
- Baumgartenschule Primary School, Grüna: Several measures to improve safety on the route to school have been introduced and implemented here due to construction work.
Visual reminders of the 30 km/h speed limit
- In the 30 km/h zone on Lichtenauer Straße, pictograms have been painted onto the road surface to draw road users’ attention to the speed limit – as a reminder to drive more considerately.
Planned for the coming year (excerpt):
- Rudolfschule Primary School: Construction of a central island on Charlottenstraße at the junction with Rudolfstraße,
- Obere Luisenschule Primary School: to make the crossing at the pedestrian traffic lights safer, a pavement extension is to be built on one side,
- Kirchner Primary School: Adjustment of the time-limited speed restriction, including closing gaps in the enforcement and extending the 30 km/h zone along Chemnitzer Straße; planning of a traffic light system at the junction of Chemnitzer Straße, Untere Hauptstraße and Obere Hauptstraße.
Traffic monitoring
The Chemnitz Police Headquarters and the City of Chemnitz’s Legal and Public Order Office will step up their monitoring of both moving and stationary traffic at the start of the school year. Volunteers from Verkehrswacht Chemnitz e. V. will also be on site and are planning various initiatives to ensure a safe journey to school for Chemnitz’s children.
Appeal to all road users
As the new school year begins, the City of Chemnitz urges all motorists to drive attentively, anticipate potential hazards and maintain an appropriate speed, particularly near schools. Children are not just small adults – they often react unpredictably. Consideration and vigilance save lives.
Further information and tips on safety on the way to school can be found at www.chemnitz.de/schulweg