Barely parents in Bochum are committed to the award-winning school path initiative. But the walking buses continue in Legendre and Lithe. The school way model from England strengthens traffic safety, sense of responsibility and fitness of primary school children.
Fillip is seven years old and attends the community school. He goes to school on the way to school. "It is 800 meters," knows the second-grader and also refers to the return journey. Nearly every day Fillip runs 1600 meters. His mother Martina Henkel (38) started the "Walking Bus" project in 2007. Originally the idea came from England. Last January, the initiative, which also takes place at the elementary school, received the sustainability award of the city of Bochum All news from Bochum 2012.
Fillip stands with Martina Henkel at the walking bus stop. His mother is wearing a neon yellow safety vest. The stop sign, a gift from the Bochum, shows a bus with legs painted by children. Here Martina and Fillip start. "First we were over ten children. The walking bus was very popular because it was new, "Henkel says which still makes advertising for the walking bus at school. Apart from their line, two walking busses from different directions ran to the primary school. Meanwhile Henkel, together with two mothers, holds the only line on course. "On the route, for example, there were only a few children left. The road was quite far, it lasted about half an hour. The remaining children saw the schoolmates pass by with the car and then had no desire to run, "Henkel described.” I prefer to run, and then you can also discuss something when there was a quarrel," says Silas. Fabio says: "Running is better. I can get my feet on, for example, when I have new shoes. "Martina Henkel accompanies the guys, but does not run in the first position. The children go ahead, chatter and fool themselves. Although the route leads through quiet residential streets, but at street crossings wait the guys until the bus is back together. "There is a dangerous truck entrance, since a child always looks at whether the route is free," Henkel says. The children learned so independent behavior and responsibility in road traffic; they explained the walking bus principle.
There is also the variant that two children at the head of the bus take over the function of the bus driver and observe the traffic. Not only children had something from the walking bus, so Henkel: With ten passengers the parents are theoretically only every two weeks to accompany the bus. The widespread phenomenon of parental taxis, which was recently criticized by the teachers' union of education and training NRW, is also given at the elementary school: "The parents hold partly on or just before the zebras. Sometimes the heart slipped into my pants because almost an accident happened, "Henkel says. In addition to greater road safety, the walking bus offers many advantages: it does not blow any exhaust gases, keeps fit for the lessons and is sociable.
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