Hanoi strengthens safe school gate model to protect students amid rising traffic

THE HANOI TIMES — From the start of the 2025–2026 school year, Thai Thinh Primary School in Dong Da Ward has worked with the ward police and local militia to guide parents during student pick up and drop off.

Instead of standing across the street, taking up half the roadway and creating risks for traffic accidents, the sidewalk and the area in front of the school gate are now divided into clear sections for parents to stand while bringing their children to school or waiting for them.

The school also staggered dismissal times and split classes into two groups: one group exits through the main gate and the other through the side gate.

These efforts have produced early positive results. The school sits at the intersection of both Yen Lang and Thai Thinh streets, yet congestion at dismissal time has disappeared and vehicles no longer lose half of the roadway to crowds of parents.

The model at Thai Thinh Primary School is similar to the “Safe School Gate” program that Hanoi has been implementing at schools across the city, including Dich Vong Secondary School in Cau Giay Ward.

Phạm Nhu Hoa, Principal of Dich Vong Secondary School, said student and parent awareness has improved and the school gate area looks better since the school began piloting the model five years ago.

However, Hoa said the community has changed quickly. The local population continues to grow, infrastructure is aging, sidewalks are encroached upon, cars park illegally, many parents still lack discipline and many drivers also fail to follow basic traffic rules.

The principal said she has not received any formal directive requiring schools to warn parents about violations. She emphasized that the biggest challenge is coordinating all sides, schools, parents and local authorities, from the very beginning.

Luong Mau Hung, Vice Chairman of the Cau Giay Ward People’s Committee, said the ward covers nearly four square kilometers and has a population of about 75,000 people, with 6,600 active businesses.

As a central ward with interconnected district roads and routes leading into the urban core, daily traffic volume is heavy, Hung said during a seminar titled “Safe School Gates – Responsibilities of Schools, Parents and Local Authorities” held today (November 25).

The ward has 33 schools at the preschool, primary, secondary and high school levels. Many sit on major roads, placing heavy pressure on school gate areas, he said.

Dinh Dang Hai, Senior Project Officer at HealthBridge, the organization implementing the Safe School Gate project, said traffic accidents and fatalities among people under 18 in Vietnam remain high at about 2,000 cases per year.

He said many countries around the world treat traffic safety as a top priority. The United Nations designated 2020–2030 as the second decade of action for road safety, with student safety as a key goal.

Hai said Hanoi’s Safe School Gate solutions draw from international experience and are adjusted to fit Vietnam’s conditions.

“In reality, Hanoi faces many challenges such as a high density of motorbikes, rapid growth in car numbers, mixed activities on sidewalks and limited public space. These factors require proper designs so everyone can use urban spaces safely,” he said.

Evaluating the “Safe School Gate” model, Hai said feedback has been positive. At Nguyen Du Secondary School in Ha Dong Ward, traffic in front of the school has become smoother and safer. Teachers, students and roadside businesses have responded well.

HealthBridge has carried out the project at Van Phuc Primary School in Ha Dong and is now collecting data for post-intervention evaluation, Hai said.

Kieu Cao Trinh, Deputy Head of the Department of Politics, Ideology and Science and Technology at the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, said Hanoi adds about 50,000 to 60,000 students each year.

For the 2025–2026 school year, the city has nearly 3,000 schools, more than 2.3 million students and 140,000 teachers and staff.

Trinh said the Safe School Gate model has helped reduce congestion around school entrances since its rollout began.

“It is important to understand that a school gate must be guaranteed with security and order. With the presence of police, security forces and community safety teams, teachers, students and parents feel much more secure,” Trinh said.

Speed limits around school gates: 30 km/h or lower

Hai, Senior Project Officer at HealthBridge, proposed that Hanoi set the speed limit around schools at about 30 kilometers per hour as a top priority to improve student safety.

“Traveling slower gives drivers more time to observe and react. Lower speeds reduce impact force, which decreases the risk of severe injury to students,” Hai said.

He noted that the human body can only tolerate collisions with vehicles traveling at around 30 km/h. At higher speeds, the risk of death rises sharply and at 50 km/h, the fatality rate reaches up to 80%.

“We also cannot rely only on speed limit signs because effectiveness depends heavily on driver behavior. We must combine this with visible, clear traffic markings and signs,” Hai said.

To enforce a 30 km/h limit in school zones, he suggested installing speed humps, raised cushions, warning markings, raised crossings and appropriate signage.

Regarding pick up and drop off coordination, Lieutenant Colonel Mai Trung Dung, Deputy Chief of the Cau Giay Ward Police, said schools should improve communication and organize pick up plans more effectively, including shared transport options and staggered dismissal times.

He suggested forming a school gate self-management team made up of teachers, security staff and parents to help guide traffic and prevent improper stopping, while local authorities provide more signs, cameras and temporary parking areas.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tai Nghia of the Hanoi Traffic Police Department said school gates easily become conflict points because space is tight while many vehicles arrive at the same time.

He said congestion at preschools and primary schools often happens because parents arrive simultaneously, while at secondary and high schools, many students ride electric bicycles or motorbikes and may speed or maneuver unpredictably.

He said communication efforts must target different groups to create real behavior change.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Chief of Office of the Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee, said the city is working with districts to scale up the Safe School Gate model to 126 wards and communes.

From 2021 to 2030, schools must review all safety measures such as traffic markings, signs and pick up areas. The city aims to apply this model to all schools by 2045, she said.

Nguyen Thu Nga, Head of the Parent Representative Board at Dich Vong Secondary School, said parents must develop orderly pick up habits, use helmets consistently, stop properly and cooperate with the school to teach traffic safety.

She said parents play a crucial role and the model should continue to expand to raise community awareness.

In his remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-Chief of Kinh te & Do thi (Economic & Urban) Newspaper, said the small area in front of school gates carries an important community responsibility.

Loi said this space reflects the connection between the school’s mission of education, the local government’s role of protection and the parent’s duty of setting an example.

“A Safe School Gate is a measure of legal culture, traffic culture and urban behavior, which have huge impact on the students,” he said.

“Each proper stop or careless action, each act of compliance or violation helps shape student habits,” he said, adding that the Safe School Gate model requires cooperation from all sides.