Weeklong European Focus on Sustainable School Commutes: Lunar Educational Institutions Emphasize Environmentally Friendly and safe School Journeys
Lünen, one of three pilot municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, is set to take centre stage in the promotion of sustainable school mobility. Joining Jülich and Krefeld, Lünen will participate in the European Mobility Week (EMW) from 16th to 22nd September 2025.
As part of this initiative, Lünen will be implementing various measures to strengthen school mobility management within local administrations. One such measure is the establishment of a traffic trial at the Elisabeth School, which will see a temporary school street introduced for the first four to six weeks.
During this period, students will have the opportunity to decorate the path from pick-up points to school buildings using the 'Playway' action box, containing materials like sidewalk chalk and stencils for animal footprints. This initiative aims to make the daily school journey as environmentally friendly as possible, a goal encapsulated by the action 'Early practice'.
Lünen's efforts will not be confined to the action week. The city is being aided by the Mobility Future Network and a creative service provider in preparing for and following up on EMW. The experiences gained in Lünen will be shared statewide through exchange formats and documentation, ensuring that other municipalities can learn from Lünen's example.
The leaders of the cities chosen as pilot municipalities for the project 'EMW makes school - in Ihrer Gemeinde' in North Rhine-Westphalia, Jülich and Krefeld, are not explicitly named in the search results. However, the cities are united in their belief that children and young people should be able to move safely and independently, which is both an educational goal and a transport policy aim.
To ensure children's safety, police, neighbourhood partnerships, and the ADFC will accompany the introduction of the 'temporary school street' on selected days. Additionally, schools with parent pick-up points will receive updated information flyers during EMW.
The patronage of the European Mobility Week 2025 in the state has been jointly taken on by NRW's Minister of Education, Dorothee Feller, and NRW's Minister of Transport, Oliver Krischer. Furthermore, an ideas collection for games can be downloaded for free via the Mobility Future Network during EMW, providing additional resources for schools to promote sustainable mobility.
Mayor Jürgen Kleine-Frauns hopes that Lünen's example will inspire other municipalities to prioritise the safety and independence of children on their school routes. By working together, the cities can drive real change and create a more sustainable future for the next generation.
