Due to a lack of resources Zurich cuts traffic lessons for private schools - criticism
The Zurich city police want to restrict traffic lessons to public schools in future. Private schools are to be excluded due to a lack of resources. The decision has led to criticism.
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- In future, the Zurich city police will only offer traffic instruction at public schools and will remove private schools from the program. The reason for this is a lack of resources and an unclear legal basis.
- The lessons are regarded as an important prevention component in which children learn traffic rules as well as how to ride and check their bicycles.
- The decision has been met with cross-party criticism, as many are calling for access for all children.
In future, the Zurich city police will only offer traffic lessons at public schools. Private schools will be removed from the program. This was reported by the "Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich".
Traffic lessons are considered an important part of prevention. Children learn the basic rules of the road, including how to ride a bike and take a bike test.
The city police cite a lack of resources and an unclear legal basis as the reason for this. Private schools are not entitled to free lessons. The available resources should therefore be used specifically for the benefit of public schools.
Decision causes criticism
For private schools and parents, this means that they will have to take over road safety education themselves in future - for example, practising the way to school and choosing safe routes.
According to the Tagblatt, the decision has sparked criticism across party lines, with several politicians calling for all children to have access to traffic education. "The goal must be traffic training for all children in the city," SP municipal councillor Matthias Renggli told the newspaper. FDP municipal councillor Martina Zürcher also said: "This decision has caused me a lack of understanding."
The political will for solutions and more resources is there. A decision is likely to be made after the summer vacations.
