Child Pedestrians' Quality Needs and how these needs relate to interventions

Cost 358 is to present a handbook on Pedestrians’ Quality Needs in 2010 for all age groups. One age group is children. The main objective is to provide knowledge of pedestrians’ quality needs and how these needs relate to structural and functional interventions, policy making and regulation to support walking conditions across the EU and other interested countries. This paper suggests a new way to satisfy children’s rights to road safety. According to the UN ‘Children’s Charter’, its Convention on Children’s Rights, their rights include road safety, and ratifying countries, are obliged to take all appropriate measures to implement the Convention. Child Consequence Analyses, i.e. preliminary tests of the consequences that an intended decision may have on children and young people and on their right to health, survival and to play etc. should be carried out to ensure that Children’s Rights are fulfilled according to the convention. Free movement of children in the physical environment is important for their health as well as for their social, cognitive, and motor development. With increasing age, children’s desire for free movement increases - and their territory gradually expands. However, this leads to increased exposure to risk: accidents to children as pedestrians are a function of mobility. The objektive is that children of preschool age should not encounter cars in their play areas or where they walk; though in some cases, vehicles travelling at a maximum of walking pace (or crawling speed) can be accepted. Children 7 to 12 should not cross streets at locations where vehicle speeds exceed 15-20 km/h. For older children, the same principles apply as for adult unprotected road users: they should not cross at locations where motor vehicle speeds exceed 30 km/h. This applies to routes to school, to leisure activities, and to friends. However, other measures than low speed is needed to accomplish systematic traffic planning for children. Approaches should have only one entry and one exit lane, and typically be separated by a refuge island where pedestrians cross. This is proposed to be systematically provided at bus stops, at schools, in residential areas, and other places where children can be expected to walk. For traffic quantity and composition, the aim is that traffic flows should be low, with few or no heavy vehicles. Layouts and sections should have clear visibility and clarity. Countermeasures are proposed to be used in a systematic way to achieve a safe and independent freedom of movement for children.