Strategic partnership in field of cycling road safety education for school children Erasmus Project

Project Title

Strategic partnership in field of cycling road safety education for school children

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The last few years riding bicycle became more and more popular. Thousands of people use bicycle in European cities, towns (home to school or work), in free time, in tourism, but most of them get no education on traffic rules, how to use bicycle on the roads, or simply just how to behave in the traffic. If somebody wants to drive a car, has to take the driving license (dozens of theoretical and practical lessons). From this aspect riding in the traffic makes no difference from driving a car. Even the children are in especially danger. This is why a cycling road safety education program has raison d’étre in each European country.

The aim of the project partners was to set up a standard educational program with the connecting Mentors’ teaching material which could be used in the future in all elementary schools. The educational materials has been translated and adapted to the national traffic rules of Hungary, Austria and Romania, and the material is also available in English.
The partnership consisted of two organisations hading experience in field of cycling road safety education (AT and HU), the Romanian partner has just started to initiate such a program, and an advisor partner from the Netherlands, which is a world-wide famous country for its outstanding road safety and cycling culture.

The educational material was set up jointly by the partners based on their previous experience. Parallel to the Mentors’ teaching program (IO1) and the school educational material (IO2), a free access online videogame (IO3) was set up, which is useful as a support material to the school education program, as a home guide for parents intending practice with their children and also for interested people not reached in the schools. The online version includes the most important basic elements of the safe cycling; it is also available in four languages (HU, RO, AT, EN) – www.safe4cycle.com/interactive. Doing so, this game could be a useful basis for further utilization in other countries. The supplyer company already strives to develop the online material, there are some interesting partners for the future promotion.

The target group of the current project was the 9-12-year-old (in Romania 12-16-year-old) age group using or wanting to use bicycle on the roads. The school educational program has both theoretical and practical part.
As the theme of the project is mainly a practical activity beside the theoretical job a lot of job-shadowing were built in as the best way to gain the most important practical details and good experience from each other.

The 30-month-long project had 3 phases:
1) Preparation – the school educational and Mentors’ teaching material was set up (based on the existing materials);
2) Pilot project year in at least 3-3 elementary schools in each country in order to test the program in practice and collect the experience. Thanks to the big interest and needs in our countries there are more schools applying to take part at the educational program as soon as possible.
3) Dissemination – the educational program through the free access online game was introduced for the public in the frame of cycling road-shows in the partners’ country (ME).

Impact of the program is calling attention of children, parents and teachers, but most of all the decision-maker stakeholders on the importance of road safety education. By educating pupils the aim is to reduce the number of traffic accidents at least 50% in the next 5 years in the involved regions. Reaching this goal as a long term impact more people will use bicycle as a healthy and sustainable type of transport, which is an expanently grooving power of the tourism sector. All of this cannot work without a changed-minded social background. The Safe4Cycle project gives inspiration for the professional job and could serve as good and strong base to future projects.

By achieving the goals a visible project with visible results has been created. The most significant achievements have come up at national levels:
The biggest achievement in Hungary was nominating the Government Commissary responsible for cycling in 2016, Mr Máriusz Révész. Thanks to our lobby job and good cooperation with his department the road safety education became high priority topic of the Government Commissary. Starting closer cooperation with the Hungarian Police: by registering 153 policemen from 10 counties for the cycling Mentors’ Training program.
Declaring the Certified Cycling Instructors’ program as Klimaaktiv partner (program of the Austrian Energy Agency) is a big appreciation. Furthermore, awarding the diploma also to Hungarian and Romanian experts is an international impact and important measurement of the Austrian Ministry.
Starting cooperation with the regional educational institution in Romania in order to deal with cycling and traffic road safety education in the schools; recognising the power of the civil sector are excellent results of the international partnership.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 340145 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vuelta Sportegyesület & Country: HU

Project Partners

• MOBYCON BV
• FUNDATIA COMUNITARA MURES
• Werner Madlencnik