Safe streets for children: Frankenberg cycles for more traffic protection!

Safe streets for children: Frankenberg cycles for more traffic protection!

On October 13, 2025, a colorful mix of cyclists rolled through the city in Frankenberg, all in the spirit of the children's bicycle demo (Kidical Mass). Organized by the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) Waldeck-Frankenberg, the event aimed to draw attention to the urgent needs of child-friendly traffic planning and more climate protection. Around 60 participants, including many families, set an example for safe and sustainable urban mobility and called for traffic planning that focuses on the needs of children.

The bike tour started at the monastery forecourt on Bahnhofstrasse and took the participants along a route of eight kilometers through Frankenberg. This route passed through Uferstrasse, Walkemühle, Hengstfurth, Berleburger Strasse and Bottendorfer Strasse. Safety was ensured by the presence of several police and public order patrol cars, while the children and their companions rode at a leisurely pace of around ten kilometers per hour and were able to enjoy the fun of cycling.

Demands for the future

At a picnic in the monastery garden after the trip, Gitta Röth, chairwoman of the ADFC, expressed the demonstrators' main concerns. She demanded from politicians safe school and cycle paths, a speed limit of 30 km/h on school routes and car-free school streets. It is particularly important to Röth that more financial resources be made available to states and municipalities in order to improve traffic safety in Frankenberg. In addition to the current activities, road safety training courses are planned for April 2026, which aim to raise lasting awareness of these topics.

On a broader level, it can be seen that the concerns of Kidical Mass are not only loud in Frankenberg, but also in other cities. A movement that advocates for safe, livable streets for children and all generations is gaining momentum. These demands correspond to the findings of a study by the Clean Cities Network, which make it clear that German cities are lagging behind when it comes to child-friendly mobility compared to international role models such as Paris or Helsinki.

A strong symbol of child-friendly mobility

The general concerns of this movement also find echoes in other cities in Germany, such as Hamburg. A driving demo was also organized there, with the motto “City for children instead of cars”. Katharina Lepik from the ADFC in Hamburg emphasizes that car traffic is pushing children out of public spaces and that child-friendly infrastructure urgently needs to be created. This shows how the asphalt often comes before the needs of the youngest and that it is time to change this dynamic.

Overall, the demands of Kidical Mass not only stand for the protection of children, but also for a general change in transport that increases the quality of life for all citizens. The annual campaigns illustrate the growth of this movement, which has mobilized more than 200,000 people and, in a comparative city ranking, shows Germany as a laggard in child-friendly mobility. Numerous cities are calling for adapted regulations that adequately take the needs of the youngest into account and thus create a safe and livable environment - because: “Roads are there for everyone”.

For more information about the event in Frankenberg please visit HNA.

Further details about the global movement and similar actions can be found at ADFC Hamburg and Changing Cities.