Improving road safety requires changes at both local and global level, and a group of students in Italy were able to address both needs in one initiative!
The ideas
Students from Liceo Artistico “Osvaldo Licini” Ascoli Piceno discussed a range of road safety issues from health to accident prevention, alcohol and drug use to the proper use of a helmet, but they especially focused on issues regarding sustainable mobility.
They wanted to build a safer and more sustainable future and decided to turn their ideas into real changes within their school and community. They began by identifying a precise problem in their school’s immediate environment: they would try to achieve changes by making a plan for safe routes to school for pedestrians and cyclists.
This is especially relevant for the students, because it is very dangerous for them to walk or cycle to school - there is no bicycle path or pavement and the walk is alongside a busy road.
The initiatives
They designed an initiative to suggest to local authorities that they create a bicycle path from their school to the railway station. They would use a number of methods to do this, including a drawing campaign about alternative transportation, recording a radio programme on pedestrian and road safety, and writing articles and reports on the use of a bicycle.
The students developed their ideas from attending the informative meetings held at their school by the police and the local cycling association, as well as by the film screening of “Young Europe” by Matteo Vicino. This initiative aims to encourage students to think about how they can make changes in their community, and take part in society as active citizens. Of course, it also aims to increase their safety as pedestrians!
