The Regional Agency for Energy and Environment of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (AREAM), has developed a new App called PICK UP & RIDE, which aims to reduce traffic congestion around schools, while allowing for parents and guardians to safely collect their their children without causing chaos on the roads. To facilitate this, the App notifies the school of the order of the parents arrival, so that children can be directed to the ‘meeting area’ or to their respective vehicles when the ‘Kiss and Ride’ initiative is applicable.
According to AREAM, this application was created to help solve the serious congestion problems that arise, as cars are parked haphazardly around school entrances, often obstructing pavements, bus stops and traffic lanes, jeopardizing the safety of drivers and pedestrians. The App will, it is hoped, reduce the amount of time parents spend waiting for their children and therefore ease congestion.
Although, not developed with the pandemic situation in mind, the App will also make a positive contribution in this area, as it will reduce the number of parents waiting to collect their offspring at any one time.
The PICK UP & RIDE application is free and available on both Google Play Store and App Store , provided that phones are operating on the latest Android and iOS versions (1st of February 2021). So far there are 13 schools participating in the project across the south coast of the island (Funchal, Calheta, Ponta do Sol and Câmara de Lobos).
The PICK UP & RIDE application was developed by AREAM as part of the Civitas Destinations Project, and co-financed by the Horizon 2020 Programme.
For those interested, please watch the promotional video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUoeuBGoMDg.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
