No cars in the streets around the primary schools in Geldrop and Mierlo. Children’s mayor Annalot van Neerven achieved this and ensured that children could play freely in car-free streets on Wednesday afternoon.
The days of car-free Sundays, which were held at the time due to an oil shortage, are fifty years behind us. But in the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo, several streets were off-limits to motorists on Wednesday afternoon.
The only wheels that rolled on the roads around primary schools De Diepe Vaart in Geldrop and Puur Sang in Mierlo were those of scooters and skateboards. “It’s nice here on the street,” says Rosy cheerfully. She is one of the children playing at De Diepe Vaart primary school in Geldrop. “This should happen more often. If we all get on our bikes, we can do this every day.”
Elena (11) also wants it more often, a car-free afternoon. “Children can do something they normally can’t do. Normally we have to go all the way around because there are so many cars driving through the streets. But not today!”
Cool
This car-free afternoon is possible because children’s mayor Annalot from Mierlo has made an effort to make it possible. According to her, it is not only fun, but also good for contact with each other and the environment. “I want everyone to be able to play outside. I think it’s really cool and fun to be the children’s mayor. Especially to be the voice of the children.”
The children playing are happy with the work of their ‘mayor’. If it is up to Jack (9), there will be many more good plans for children. But the question is whether these are realistic. “If I were mayor, we would have the whole year off and I would play games even longer in a day.”
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
