Streets for Children on Šoltésovej...

On Friday, 18 September 2026, Hodžova Primary School will become the fourth primary school to host a Streets for Children event. Taking place on Šoltésovej Street in Trenčín, the event is expected to attract approximately 900 participants. For one day, the street will be transformed into a pedestrian zone with activities for primary school pupils. The event forms part of the long-term Mobilities for EU project, which aims to improve safety, sustainability and the quality of public spaces around schools.

Morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups at schools and kindergartens make nearby streets busier and less safe. Streets for Children will offer an opportunity to experience what a quieter, more welcoming street immediately outside a school could look like.

The long-term Mobilities for EU project aims to improve conditions around schools, making children’s journeys safer, greener and more enjoyable. Pupils, teachers and parents are all involved in the process.

Mobility plans informed by data and people’s experiences

Mobility plans for primary schools are being developed in cooperation with the Faculty of Management at Comenius University Bratislava, specifically its SPECTRA Centre of Excellence EU. The Centre collects and analyses data and contributes to developing proposals.

Streets for Children events demonstrate how primary school pupils can actively participate in preparing mobility plans. For one day, school grounds and the adjacent street become spaces for play and educational activities.

Pupils discuss traffic around their school and mark the most problematic locations directly on a map. These sessions are complemented by questionnaires for pupils, parents and teachers. Open-ended questions allow participants to describe their experiences of safety and getting around the school neighbourhood.

“Well-functioning public transport, well-lit, well-maintained and safe pavements and roads, and welcoming public spaces are things every parent naturally expects from the place where they and their children live. The long-standing cooperation between the SPECTRA Centre of Excellence and the City of Trenčín is focused on changes that make Trenčín a safe, high-quality and welcoming place to live,” explained Vladimír Ondrejička, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Management at Comenius University Bratislava.

Sustainable mobility and safe public spaces around schools

Streets for Children events form part of a project that will develop plans for all primary schools in Trenčín to support sustainable school mobility and improve the safety of surrounding public spaces.

Involving pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and public transport passengers provides a clearer understanding of each group’s needs. This helps identify solutions that accommodate everyone and enables the development of a more comprehensive plan.

Information gathered during the event and through questionnaires will highlight the most problematic locations. This will help identify where changes are needed so that people who use these spaces every day can feel safer.

Streets for Children as part of MOBILITIES FOR EU

Streets for Children is organised as part of the European MOBILITIES FOR EU project under the HORIZON programme, with a focus on children’s safety around schools. The project’s main partner in Slovakia is the Faculty of Management at Comenius University Bratislava, specifically its SPECTRA Centre of Excellence EU.

The event will be organised by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Participation Institute, Hodžova Primary School, the Faculty of Management at Comenius University Bratislava, the Doprava na Považí association and Trenčín2026, in cooperation with the national police, municipal police, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region through its Populair project, and Transdev.

Trenčín as a replication city

Five replication cities—Ioannina (Greece), Trenčín (Slovakia), Espoo (Finland), Gdańsk (Poland) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)—intend to replicate the processes developed by the lead cities and adapt the tested solutions to their own local contexts.

Mobility Innovation and Safety Lab in Trenčín

The UT Lab in Trenčín will focus on implementing school mobility projects, improving cycling and supporting the transition to electric vehicles, with the aim of making the city more sustainable and pleasant for its residents.

Trenčín has faced, and continues to face, significant mobility challenges, including rush-hour congestion and a limited number of safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians. The need for better school mobility plans became evident as more parents began driving their children to school, increasing road traffic.

The city’s public transport system also requires ongoing modernisation to meet environmental standards. These challenges, together with the opportunity to explore good practices from different EU regions, motivated Trenčín to participate in the UT Lab project and develop sustainable, effective mobility solutions.

Key project partners in Slovakia

SPECTRA Centre—the Central European Research and Training Centre in Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Management, Comenius University Bratislava—Centre of Excellence
Trenčín Self-Governing Region
Mobility Department, City of Trenčín
Slovak Smart City Cluster
Creative Institute Trenčín, non-profit organisation
Trenčín Participation Institute (IPT)

Official project website: mobilities-for.eu