Happy Feet! - Safe routes to school: an initiative by Phorms School
At a time when road safety and environmental protection are becoming increasingly important, our Phorms School in Steinbach is sending out a clear signal. With the "Happy Feet! - Safe routes to school" campaign week, the school and parent representatives want to draw attention to alternative means of transport and raise awareness of the importance of safe routes to school.

The challenge of daily journeys to school
The daily traffic situation at the Steinbach campus of Phorms School has repeatedly been the focus of national media coverage. Parent taxis in particular, which bring their children directly to school, repeatedly lead to dangerous situations and traffic jams. In 2020, Phorms School developed a comprehensive school mobility concept to counteract this, which takes into account all children from kindergarten to secondary school.

A holistic mobility concept
The youngest children in particular are dependent on safe and supervised journeys. The school mobility concept at Phorms School places the highest value on the safety of all children, whether on foot, by bike or by bus. The journey to school should not only be safe, but also sustainable. This is why the Steinbach campus has supervised bicycle parking spaces, two dedicated school bus routes and further planned routes. Public transport is usefully supplemented by these measures so that travelling by car is really only considered as a last option.

The "Happy Feet!" campaign week
To kick off the "Happy Feet!" week, there was already a big crowd at the stamping stations on Monday morning. Primary school children were busy collecting stamps on their cards to show that they had walked to school. The parents' stop at the Altkönighalle was emphasised as an important measure to relieve traffic in front of the school.
Dr Astrid Simon, head of the primary school, and managing director Alexander Thoms emphasised that less use of this stop leads to more traffic and therefore also to a higher potential for danger. The aim of the campaign was therefore to promote the use of safe and alternative routes to school and to reduce car traffic.

Activity and fun on the way to school
In addition to the safety aspect, walking to school also has a positive effect on children's desire to exercise and their self-confidence. There were various stations along the way, such as bouncy games and bike courses, which made the journey to school varied and entertaining. The children also received small rewards for collecting a large number of stamps.
Special thanks go to the parents' council, represented by Kathryn Rossbach and Kim Greene, who initiated this project week and realised it with great commitment. Additional posters were displayed around the school to draw attention to correct behaviour in road traffic in order to further increase safety.

A look into the future
The response to the "Happy Feet!" event was overwhelming and is already having an impact. Due to its success, there are plans to repeat it in the new school year. There is also positive news from Steinbach town hall: Mayor Steffen Bonk has been able to ensure that from winter 2024/2025, the Taunus Campus will be connected to the 251 bus route from Kronberg both at the start and end of the school year.

This week of action shows how safe and sustainable routes to school can be created through the joint commitment of schools, parents and the community. We look forward to many more successful campaigns and would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment!