Student mobility

A major mobility study was undertaken by the Department of Youth, Social Affairs and Public Security of the City of Pully in 2016. By identifying and mapping the areas of potential danger on school routes, the initiative aims to improve children’s safety. This study has a twofold objective: to take into account the expectations of worried parents and to establish a municipal Regulation on school transportation for Pully, as required by the Canton.

Since the “Cantonal Regulation on School Transportation” came into force in 2012, the Municipalities of Vaud have been tasked with issuing a regulation for transportation between school and home. The goal? To formalize existing communal services and encourage walking or public transportation. For several years, Pully has been offering solutions for the transportation of its schoolchildren: a bus pass for children living more than 2.5 km from their school, a taxi bus for students living in Les Monts-de-Pully, the Pédibus “walking bus” program for young children, and school assignments that are redesigned so that the youngest are educated closer to their place of residence. Despite these various measures, many parents were concerned about the children’s safety, with some portions of the routes being perceived as dangerous.

To address these concerns, the City commissioned a study on student mobility. The research team met with the parents of students, several departments – including the police – as well as partners to identify the various school routes and crossings deemed dangerous. This analysis of the data was then entrusted to a specialized company that geolocated the addresses of the students and mapped their travel within municipal territory. The resulting maps are an invaluable tool to show the most used critical routes, to enhance the safety of certain sectors, and to offer parents recommendations for travel based on where they live.

The initiative is still ongoing: the “physical” improvements are therefore not yet visible. However, two of the sectors identified as part of the study – Chemin des Vignes in front of the Collège de Mallieu and the streets surrounding the Collège des Alpes – are subject to analysis and concrete planning by the Department of Works and Industrial services (DTSI). The City will take advantage of the replacement of the underground pipes on these sections to review traffic around the school complexes and secure pedestrian access.