EASST presents new toolkit on implementing community-led school zone road safety projects

Earlier this month, EASST’s Emily Carr was invited by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO) to present the new Safe School Zone Community Toolkit – a structured guide developed by EASST to support schools and communities in implementing community-led road safety projects. The presentation was part of a ‘Brown Bag’ session for guests including road safety organisations, stakeholders, and ADB employees aimed at showcasing the results of our recent ADB-funded school zone road safety project in Mongolia.

The Toolkit is based on the experiences and lessons learned during this project, emphasising the importance of stakeholder engagement and how this can strengthen road safety projects and help to deliver community-led solutions. It has been created for anyone who would like to initiate a school zone road safety project including parents, schools, local community groups, NGOs, or others using the project in Mongolia as a central case study.

This project, which was implemented in partnership with local NGO GerHub, focused on the Hugjii Complex School in Ulaanbaatar and involved bringing together the school leadership, local authorities, traffic police, parents and community representatives along with the Education Department to co-design an action plan based on community priorities and implement a hands-on road safety improvement project. Read more about the project here.

Each section of the Toolkit provides some background information and a brief explanation of best practice, including how to assess and choose a suitable project and recommends a range of ways to improve safety in school zones. It also offers useful hints and tips as well as links to additional resources and templates including the EASST Road Safety Education Pack and the EASST ‘Guide to Assessing and Reporting on Road Safety in School Zones’ – both of which have been translated into Mongolian and a number of other languages.

Road death and injury are not inevitable. Children and young people have a right to a safer journey to school and with community will and practical interventions it is possible to save lives. The Toolkit is designed to empower these communities to improve the safety of roads and make journeys safer for every pupil.