Rural territories enable construction of school access roads and designation of school safety zones

In a recent development, the Transport Minister of Germany, Winfried Hermann, has encouraged all responsible parties to establish School Streets and School Zones at suitable school locations. This call to action comes as part of a new decree titled "Guidelines for the traffic and road law implementation of school streets and school zones," which has been published.

The decree provides municipalities with clear legal foundations and practical support for implementing School Streets and School Zones. Notably, the Baden-Württemberg decree offers more comprehensive legal foundations than comparable regulations in other federal states.

School Zones are permanent closures of streets to motor vehicle traffic, making them suitable for school use and recreation. On the other hand, School Streets are temporary closures of one or more street sections near schools during specific times to motorized traffic. Both measures aim to ensure that children can safely walk, scoot, or bike to school while reducing dangerous situations caused by parent pick-ups in front of schools.

The MOVERS program, a collaboration between the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of the Interior, and Ministry of Education, offers diverse support, free of charge and tailored to practical needs, to schools and municipalities. This support includes the MOVERS Consultation Offer and extensive information material, resources available to municipalities for on-site implementation.

Municipalities can also establish so-called pick-up and drop-off zones, providing a safe place for parents to drop off their children if an independent school trip is not possible. Close cooperation between the municipality, traffic authority, and school is necessary for the implementation of School Streets and School Zones.

The journey to school is considered an important step towards more independence and safety in traffic, and the State Program MOVERS - Actively to School supports schools, municipalities, and parents in this. The new decree is part of this program, which has been expanded to offer additional support for children and young people to complete their school journey safely and independently.

The new guideline in Baden-Württemberg allows cities and municipalities across the state to establish school streets and school zones to reduce "parent taxis" and improve safety for children going to school. This applies broadly to towns and cities throughout Baden-Württemberg, as enabled by a state government directive effective from mid-September 2025. However, no specific city names are mentioned in the sources.

The MOVERS - Active to School program is being expanded, and the ministry encourages all responsible parties to build School Streets and School Zones at suitable school locations. By doing so, they hope to create safer and more independent school journeys for children across Germany.