CET-Rio begins a new phase of the “On the Way to School 3.0” program.

CET-Rio is launching a new phase with its traffic education program "On the Way to School," expanding its engagement with the community to transform temporary road safety initiatives into permanent interventions. The proposal will democratically define which improvements residents want implemented around the school, such as sidewalks, raised crosswalks, parking lots, and even the possible construction of a public square for community gathering and leisure.

On August 11th and 13th, various activities were held at the Tóquio and Ministro Alcides Carneiro municipal schools in Campo Grande, in the western part of the city. The mobilization for the pilot project of the "A Caminho da Escola 3.0" program involved students, teachers, parents, guardians, and residents in two days of action in the area to be transformed with permanent urban interventions. Group dynamics and various educational and cultural activities were carried out, such as dance and music performances, a theatrical play about traffic, and the distribution of seedlings, among other things.

Professor Marcela Máximo, from the Ministro Alcides Carneiro Municipal School, found the initiative worthwhile and praised the work and dynamics promoted by CET-Rio.

Since 2022, 81 municipal schools have been included in road safety projects developed from the perspective of the school community, with new pedestrian crossings, reduced crossing distances and intersection turning radii, green pedestrian areas, and enhanced school signage, among other traffic calming measures.

The interventions utilize tactical urbanism as a method, a low-cost and rapidly implemented strategy using pavement painting and bollards to improve the safety of public spaces. The work is developed by the Traffic Education sector of CET-Rio and involves a multidisciplinary team of educators, architects, and technicians.

Now, the listening process, which was previously limited to students and teachers, will be expanded to include the local community. The final implementation plan is the result of collaboration between various departments of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, such as the municipal secretariats of Education, Conservation, Urban Planning and Infrastructure, as well as the Parks and Gardens Foundation and the Planning Office.

About the program

The "On the Way to School" program is developed by CET-Rio in partnership with the Municipal Department of Education, with the goal of promoting road safety around schools through the direct participation of students in creating a risk map. The map is designed to encourage students to observe their surroundings on their way from home to school. Once completed, the map is sent to CET-Rio for evaluation, final project development, and implementation.

The program serves municipal schools daily, presenting theatrical plays about traffic, conducting awareness workshops, and holding debates on urban and sustainable mobility. On average, 70 students from the 3rd and 4th grades of elementary school participate in the activities.

In total, 39.468 students from public and private schools have already participated in playful activities focused on traffic education. To date, 1.373 classes have been served in 447 schools across the education network, totaling 677 actions promoted.

Recognition and partnerships

CET-Rio was selected by the "Street for Kids" program of the American institution Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) and receives technical support in recognition of the "On the Way to School" initiative, competing with proposals from 60 cities around the world, including Bogotá and Cali, in Colombia, as well as Salvador, Fortaleza and Mogi das Cruzes.

The program was also recognized at the 60th Annual Awards of the Institute of Architecture and Urbanism (IAB), in the Urbanism, Planning and Cities category, and also won the gold certification “What Works Cities” from the philanthropic institution Bloomberg.

CET-Rio has also established partnerships with institutions such as UNICEF, the Foundation for Childhood and Adolescence (FIA), and the World Bank, seeking to improve actions aimed at making the city's roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.