CASE STUDY: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN
FACILITIES AROUND
IED RODRIGO LARA BONILLA
PROJECT
PARTNERS

Photo credit: Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2018

A 2-star safety jump and safer school PROJECT SUMMARY

journey was achieved for local children The Mobility Secretariat used the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) tool:

• To provide an objective measure of risk and star rating performance at

the existing location;
In 2018, as part of the city’s Vision Zero approach, the Bogota Mobility
• To stimulate scenarios and measure star rating improvements
Secretariat launched their 2,000th safe school zone, around the IED
associated with the implementation of a planned set of
Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Public School in Ciudad Bolivar.
countermeasures.
Ciudad Bolivar is one of the lowest income areas of Bogota, Colombia.
The SR4S reports were also used in the process of engaging the
It is known as a very deprived district with a lack of appropriate public
community and developing support for the intervention among local
facilities, which translates to high risk environments.
decision makers, residents and the school community.

Initially five locations around the school (data points) were assessed using
BEFORE  the SR4S app. Given the results of the risk evaluation and local conditions,
three were prioritized (data points 3, 4 and 5) for further investigation and
improvement.

March 2018: As part of the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety
(BIGRS), in partnership with the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility
and NACTO-GDCI, the Mobility Secretariat started a pilot project in the
area. The countermeasures were first tested with temporary materials
to verify their impact. Cones and plants were introduced to create safe
pedestrian crossings to the school, protect vulnerable users and enforce
motorised vehicles to travel at a safe speed.

The temporary solution allowed the project team to measure the safety
Photo credit: BIGRS 2018

impact of the interventions.

Point #1 Point #2 Point #3 Point #4 Point #5

Before     
After     

July 2018: After adjusting detailed designs and meeting with the
ABOUT THE SCHOOL ZONE AREA community to discuss impressions and results, a permanent solution was
implemented.
• The area around IED Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Public School has high
volumes of pedestrians. The conditions around the IED Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Public School were
then assessed using the Star Rating for Schools app, which resulted in an
• From 6.00am to 8.30am, 499 pedestrians were counted.
improvement from 2- and 3-stars to 4- and 5-star safety.
• 78% of those observed in the area were seen between 6.00am and
The SR4S app supported local staff in generating a new road design that
6.30am.
improved safety for kids at the most criticial point of their journey to school.
• The pedestrian crossing point at the intersection of Calle 64 South and The treatments also included higher visibility of waiting areas for pedestrians
Carrera 38 was identified as the critical point of danger for accessing and safer vehicle speeds.
the school. The site recorded counts of 445 pedestrians during the
assessment, with 57% of them children.
After the intervention, speeds at the
intersection reduced by up to 25%,
improving pedestrian safety
Our vision is of a world where all children travel safely to and from school starratingforschools.org
PILOT  AFTER 

Left to right: (i) The Mobility Secretariat tested countermeasures with temporary interventions; (ii) and implemented permanent solutions, improving safety
of students walking to and from school. Photo credits: BIGRS 2018

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Read the story:

• Using the SR4S app to create a safer journey for school kids (Bogota,
Colombia) - https://www.irap.org/July2018-Bogota-School-safer-
journeys
Photos credit: BIGRS 2018

• Safer school zone launched at Rodrigo Lara School (Bogota,

Colombia) - https://www.irap.org/July2018-Safer-School-zone-
launched-Bogota

• Check out the video - https://youtu.be/RCFg25nLkK0

• Movilidad Bogota story - http://ow.ly/wrUj30nz8sp

Secretary of Mobility Juan Pablo Bocarejo launching the intervention.

SR4S AS A COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT TOOL DONATE HERE
The local community was engaged during the process, from critical https://www.starratingforschools.org/donate/
hazard identification and planning to implementation. Students were
invited to share their perceptions of the environment before and after
implementation and the community participated in the installation.

OUR KIDS DESERVE AT LEAST 3-STAR

OR BETTER JOURNEYS TO SCHOOL
WINNER – 2018 PRINCE MICHAEL
INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY AWARD
MADE SAFER BY
starratingforschools.org

schools@irap.org @SR4Schools
FOUNDING
SPONSOR The Star Rating for Schools App (SR4S) is the first systematic approach based on
evidence to analyse, measure, manage and communicate the risk associated with
the road infrastructure around schools. The tool combines an easy-to-use School
Assessment Android app and a Global Reporting for Schools web application. These
MAJOR DONOR applications work together to harness the power of the International Road Assessment
Programme’s (iRAP) Pedestrian Star Ratings to measure the risk children are exposed to
on their journey to school.

LEAD PARTNERS

Our vision is of a world where all children travel safely to and from school starratingforschools.org