October 2026: Improving Safety for Pedestrians Crossing the Street in Aachen-Haaren

The city of Aachen has implemented its first “quick-fix measure” at an intersection to improve safety for pedestrians crossing the street in Aachen-Haaren. The Kochstraße/Bogenstraße/Kreuzstraße intersection is located near the “Lindenschule” special education school and is therefore also important for the safety of children walking to school.

The primary goal was to improve sight lines between pedestrians wishing to cross and traffic on the roadway in a timely manner and at minimal cost. The long-term redevelopment of the intersection remains on the agenda.

The field-of-view tests served as the basis.

• Areas that must be kept clear of parked vehicles were hatched to improve visibility among road users.
• Barrier posts were used to physically enforce the ban. Warning beacons were deliberately not used, as they would restrict visibility—for example, of children attempting to cross the street—more than necessary.
• The edge of the roadway was marked with a solid narrow line.
• With a dashed thin line and
• The crossing for pedestrians was marked with the “pedestrian” symbol.
• The edges were raked as a "quick-fix" measure.
• The structural redesign is planned and will take into account any detailed feedback received regarding this measure.
  
  

The goal of improving visibility was achieved.

The intersection mentioned above was preceded by initial experiences elsewhere on Malmedyer Straße. There, students from the nearby GGS Malmedyer Straße elementary school had requested a pedestrian crossing in front of their school’s entrance through the City of Aachen’s Children’s Forum. After review, the decision was made—in accordance with the guidelines of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and for the safety of students crossing the street—against establishing a pedestrian-priority crossing. Instead, the fields of vision in front of the school and at the adjacent intersection were improved by restricting parked vehicles through markings, signage, bollards (and chipping). The result was explained to the Children’s Forum—and the response was positive here as well.

Each measure helps refine the planning and implementation process. Future measures will benefit from this.