EASST
The Pitch
Advancing 30-kilometer-per-hour (km/h) School Speed Zones transformed streets around schools in Chisinau into safer, healthier and more walkable public spaces by reducing vehicle speeds, improving street design and advancing nationwide policies designed to protect children and other vulnerable road users.
The Problem
For decades, schools across Moldova were surrounded by roads designed primarily for vehicle movement rather than pedestrian safety. High traffic speeds, limited traffic-calming infrastructure, inadequate pedestrian crossings and weak enforcement both exposed children and other vulnerable road users to significant risks and discouraged walking and cycling.
The Process
- Built a nationwide coalition of civil society organizations, local governments, police, ministries and international partners to advocate for safer school streets and lower speed limits
- Conducted road safety assessments at pilot schools to identify infrastructure improvements and demonstrate the benefits of safe street design
- Implemented Moldova's first demonstration 30 km/h school zones, introducing raised pedestrian crossings, traffic-calming measures, improved lighting, road markings, pedestrian refuge islands and accessibility upgrades
- Measured vehicle speed, public perception and road safety outcomes to demonstrate impact and strengthen the case for national policy reform
- Led sustained advocacy campaigns through community meetings, media outreach, public-awareness initiatives and engagement with government agencies to build public and political support for lower speed limits
- Successfully advocated for amendments to Moldova's National Road Regulations, making 30 km/h speed limits mandatory around schools and other areas with high concentrations of vulnerable road users
- Produced national implementation guidance and delivered technical training for municipal planners, engineers, police and local authorities to support consistent implementation across the country
- Continued expanding pilot projects to additional cities while strengthening enforcement, monitoring and accountability to ensure long-term compliance and safer streets
- Shared lessons learned across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, supporting regional adoption of evidence-based speed management policies
The Impact
- Improved road safety conditions for nearly 300,000 school children
- Supported the adoption of 30 km/h speed limits and installation of traffic-calming infrastructure at more than 250 schools throughout Chisinau, with additional expansion across Moldova
- Helped reduce child road fatalities by 53% between 2023 and 2024, with zero fatalities recorded at the 20 pilot schools following implementation
- Reduced vehicle operating speeds by an average of 10 to 15 km/h around pilot schools, significantly lowering the risk of serious injuries and fatalities
- Secured national policy reform in 2022 requiring 30 km/h speed limits around schools and other areas with high pedestrian activity
- Leveraged approximately $1.3 million in municipal investment to replicate traffic-calming infrastructure and safe street design beyond the original pilot locations
- Increased public support for lower urban speed limits, with support for 30 km/h limits on local urban roads rising from 63% to 75% through sustained public engagement and education
- Built technical capacity among local governments, engineers, police and planners by introducing international best practices for child-friendly street design and speed management
- Established a scalable implementation model that informed Moldova's National Road Safety Programme and inspired similar policy commitments in Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and other countries across the region
