First steps towards safer journeys to school in Cluj, Romania, supported by the FIA Foundation

The municipality of Cluj, Romania, has announced key school zone road safety measures following research and advocacy by local NGO, Fundatia Crucea Alba (FCA), supported by the FIA Foundation.

Romania remains among the top European countries for road fatalities, with the majority of crashes occurring on urban roads. In 2022, pedestrians represented over a third of serious injuries and 32% of all road deaths, underscoring the urgent need to prioritise road safety in Romanian cities.

The municipality of Cluj is addressing the issue through its Urban Mobility Plan 2021-2030, built on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The plan includes a ‘Safe School Program’ to implement targeted traffic calming regulations and infrastructure improvements around 10 pilot schools in the city.

FCA’s ‘Safe Journeys to School’ project, funded by the FIA Foundation through the Child Health Initiative, is supporting the city’s ‘Safe School Program’ by creating a strong evidence base to support advocacy and improve stakeholder collaboration to implement safe school zones. In-depth research on road safety perceptions, as well as infrastructure assessments using iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology, were carried out at the 10 schools. The research was led by the Department of Public Health - Babeș-Bolyai University, in collaboration with local stakeholders and involved interviews and focus group discussions with students, teachers, and parents. The project found that:

• Poor infrastructure and access deter students from choosing public transportation as their preferred mode.
• Streets around schools are perceived as unsafe due to poor infrastructure, including narrow pavements, obstructed and unsafe crossings, and speeding.
• 70% of assessed sites were rate below three stars. 

Following this research and advocacy, measures have been announced, including the installation of protective barriers near schools, raised pedestrian crossings, safety bollards, a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h around educational institutions, improved access to school premises, a ‘Safe Routes to School’ program to identify the safest pedestrian routes, and fixed speed cameras.

FCA gathered local stakeholders, institutions and authorities at a roundtable meeting to share insights and recommendations from the research and pave the way forward for implementing life-saving measures. The event featured a panel discussion with representatives from the Cluj County School Inspectorate, Cluj County Police Inspectorate, Department of Public Health - Babeș-Bolyai University, Streets for People Association, and Our School's Air Project. Cluj Vice Mayor, Razvan Tarcea, confirmed the city’s commitment to prioritising children's safety, and the municipality will continue working toward safer school journeys for every child.

FCA President, Ana Maita, said: "Children's journeys to and from school are a pivotal part of their day and really, of their childhood. Making sure that they have access to safe routes, with proper infrastructure and protective traffic by-laws, is the bare minimum that a community must provide to its children. We are happy to provide the Cluj-Napoca municipality with sound data gathered on the ground and suitable recommendations. But most of all, we are proud to have made children a central part of the effort and the conversation on how they perceive, safety-wise, their daily journey to school and back."