News

Warsaw’s REALLOCATE Pilot: Green and Safe Roads to School 

Presented by: Aleksandra Puzyńska, Warsaw Public Roads Authority

Aleksandra Puzyńska from the Warsaw Public Roads Authority presented an overview of the REALLOCATE pilot in the city, which focuses on improving road safety and reclaiming pedestrian spaces around schools. Warsaw faces the challenge of a high motorisation rate, the project aims to encourage a modal shift away from a dependence on private motorised vehicles and transforming school streets into safer, greener public areas. 

Two pilot locations have been identified where data is being collected and analysed to support a co-creation process. The first site was chosen specifically because of a previous traffic incident that had occurred nearby to the school entrance. Reflecting 1970s urban planning, the area’s narrow streets became congested during peak hours. The next step involved observsing and measuring traffic patterns and collecting the gathering relevant data which could then be used for improving the roads’ safety.  The collected data was compiled, forming the basis for a new traffic organisation plan. 

Community Engagment

A key focus of the project has been community engagement, including explanatory sessions with children and parents to raise awareness about road safety and sustainable mobility. This co-creation process also involved hosting brainstorming meetings with housing cooperatives, school boards and local citizens. Additionally, the pilot team has been working with an urban designer, who created 3D visualisations of the pilot areas to give a visual glimpse into the potential future of the urban area around the schools for the stakeholders' better appreciation.

The next phase involves restricting traffic during peak hours on school streets—a measure dependent on the continued cooperation and support of the local stakeholders impacted by the intervention. If successful, the model pilot could be replicated and further implemented in other parts of the city and beyond.

Pending approval, permanent interventions will include: 

• Barriers blocking traffic in the school streets during school hours
• Extended school street hours for improved pedestrian access
• Overall visual transformation of the space, based on the urban designers' 3D artwork.

Second pilot:

Following this, the second pilot location will be determined. It will be chosen by looking at statistics for pedestrian crossings with the worst scores in the safety audit. A similar process to the first pilot site will occur to determine this, through observations, collecting data and eventual co-creation to ensure that local stakeholders remain onside throughout the various intervention stages.

The second pilot location will be selected based on safety audit data, prioritising high-risk pedestrian crossings. A similar process of observation, data collection and co-creation will guide its implementation. 

Three key challenges emerge during the pilot, which will aim to inform the second pilot:

• Stakeholder resistance: Some residents fear disruption to their transport and commute, and the impact that this would have on their daily routine, while decision-makers worry about public backlash.
• Differing priorities: In particular, ‘safety’ and ‘commuting’ needs were highlighted as the most important. Some safety advocates in favour of the school streets, while those placing more importance on commuting, prioritise road access.
• Compliance issues: Many residents are ignoring the school street regulations in restricted areas, undermining new traffic rules.

The Warsaw Public Roads Authority believes inclusive participation is crucial to overcoming these obstacles, ensuring that all affected groups have a voice in shaping the intervention.

Kozani’s Just Streets: Reclaiming public space for Mobility Justice 

Presented by: Dimitris Kakoulidis, Kozani (JUST STREETS)

Following the discussion on the REALLOCATE pilot in Warsaw, Dimitris Kakoulidis from Kozani introduced the Just Streets initiative. This project, funded under Horizon Europe, seeks to reimagine school streets as safe, inclusive, and engaging spaces for children and the wider community.

Like Warsaw, Kozani, located in Western Macedonia, Greece, faces challenges related to high levels of car dependency and road safety concerns, particularly around schools. Dimitris highlighted that before the intervention, school streets in Kozani were cluttered with vehicles, unsafe crossings and lacked clear pedestrian zones. Many of these streets followed an outdated urban design that prioritised vehicles over pedestrian well-being.

The Just Streets project set out to change this by implementing targeted interventions, embedding mobility justice at its core. Just Streets aims to:

• Improve road safety and air quality around schools
• Increase physical activity by creating walkable, pedestrian-friendly zones
• Expand street space for play, social interaction and community use
• Ensure public spaces are accessible to all.

The first step was then identifying high-risk school areas, where interventions could have the most significant impact. These interventions included a range of measures introduced to redesign school streets and enhance safety, including:

• Traffic calming measures, including speed cushions, road narrowings, and electronic speed displays to reduce vehicle speeds.
• Asphalt art to create visible, child-friendly pedestrian zones.
• Partial or full traffic bans during school hours, to ensure that students could arrive and leave safely.

A significant aspect of the project was the co-creation process, ensuring that interventions reflected the needs of local communities. The first Just Streets stakeholder meeting, held in December 2024, brought together parents, educators, urban planners, and local businesses to refine the intervention plan.

Challenges and Future Steps

As in Warsaw, resistance to change has been one of the biggest challenges, particularly from parents who continue to drive in restricted zones. Some residents have also expressed concerns about access and inconvenience. To address this, the project team is focusing on community engagement and awareness campaigns to reinforce the long-term benefits of safer school streets.

Balancing safety with commuter needs remains a challenge, requiring ongoing consultation and adaptation. The next phase of Just Streets will focus on:

• Expanding public engagement efforts to build local support.
• Refining interventions based on observed traffic patterns and feedback.
• Developing long-term policies to sustain the initiative beyond the pilot phase.

Both REALLOCATE and JUST STREETS initiatives highlight the importance of data-driven planning, co-creation and stakeholder engagement in making school streets safer and move liveable.