“We are a special primary school and our children need more time to learn and master things. With the traffic square, we can regularly repeat what we have taught them. All our children have to cycle to Nijmegen, Druten or Wijchen for secondary school. That is quite a transition. Those cycling routes are not without danger either; they need a lot of cycling experience for this,” says Ellen Sas-van de Geer, principal of Klavervier special education primary school.
Children vulnerable on bicycles
Children are vulnerable on bicycles. They are still developing and are often not yet able to properly assess traffic situations. To participate safely in traffic, children need to learn to cycle well. In practice, this means covering a great many miles. To allow primary school pupils to practise traffic situations safely, ANWB developed the ‘ANWB Traffic Square’. Under the supervision of a teacher, children can gain experience with various traffic situations in a safe environment. This ensures that they will be well prepared to take to the road.
The campaign is an initiative of the ANWB Fund. In total, almost 400 schools from across the Netherlands registered for this campaign, and 100,000 people cast their votes. In each province, ANWB will transform one school playground into a traffic square.
Other winners
The winners will be announced between 25 September and 6 October. In addition to Gelderland, the winners in Utrecht, Flevoland and Overijssel have now also been announced: