Tungassingerstrasse at Spallerhof is anything but wide; space for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers is limited. This is a problem, especially in the time before school starts. There is no continuous sidewalk to the entrance to elementary school 21; the children have to walk the last part on the street, which is also adjacent to the teachers’ parking spaces.
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At the level of the VS entrance, drivers have to turn around and a barrier prevents them from driving through to Muldenstrasse. No cars are allowed to access the school area from there (delivery traffic is excluded). In addition to VS 21, middle school 14 and Poly 1 are also located there. These two schools have a separate entrance area “behind the barrier”.
Dangerous situations
Parents who drive their children to the elementary school entrance have to turn around and go back once more – crowds and dangerous moments are inevitable due to the narrow space, as are unpleasant conversation situations with unreasonable drivers, knows Ulrike Geier, director of VS 21, from painful experience. Robert Adelsmair, director of MS 14, addresses another negative point.
A school street should now provide a remedy (see grafic), there has recently been one in front of the VS 45 on Hausleitnerweg. From 7:15 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. on school days, there is a temporary entry ban for drivers. Exceptions apply, for example, to residents, emergency services and people driving into parking spaces. There are also plans to set up parent stops outside of Schulstrasse (on Muldenstrasse and Tungassingerstrasse), where parents can let their children get on and off.
The aim of Schulstrasse is to emphasize the appeal not to drive any more and to raise awareness. “We hope that it will work now,” says Geier, who took the lead in pushing for the measure. For traffic officer, Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart (VP), the new Schulstrasse contributes to traffic safety and calming, and the experience from Hausleitnerweg shows that significant improvements are possible.
The director of VS 45, Karin Auzinger, sees a significant relief in the area in front of the school following around three months. Thanks to the police’s efforts, the few drivers who continue to drive too fast will now be reached. The advantages would clearly outweigh the disadvantages: the school street would increase safety, encourage children to walk and at the same time do good things for the environment.
Author
Julia Popovsky
Editor Linzer Nachrichten
Julia Popovsky
