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New Drop-off zone in Ebensee
Parent
Stop
The primary goal is to ensure children’s safety on their way to school, but this initiative accomplishes much more. It also provides students with an incentive to complete part of their journey to school on foot.
The path via the Dienerstiege to school is decorated with colorful pennants painted by children during the June school festival, while students from the fashion school spray-painted a vibrant graffiti mural at the parent drop-off zone entrance to Rathauspark.
Health experts recommend that children and teenagers get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily, and the school commute can contribute to this goal. Walking allows children to get fresh air, meet friends, and hopefully arrive at class more balanced than if they simply jump out of their parents’ car directly in front of the school.
A Win-Win Solution
The FairMobility project looks at local planning from the perspective of the 30-minute region, which means that all everyday activities should be accessible within half an hour according to this model.
This includes work, schools, shopping, visits to doctors or pharmacies… but also leisure and cultural needs. Walking and cycling, i.e. active mobility, should be prioritized and promoted.
Women, gender minorities, children, young people and older people have the fewest options in this regard. These groups in particular can benefit noticeably from an improvement.
The aim of the joint work is to identify the problems of active mobility for the group(s) of people and to test possible solutions with local experiments. To this end, all people in and around Ebensee are invited to participate and discuss their needs, as well as to express their wishes and test proposals as an interest group with activities.
FairMobility is therefore looking for interest groups and members for existing interest groups.
Community Cooperation Needed
Officials hope that all parents who drive their children to school will use the new parent drop-off zone in the future, keeping the route at Kirchenbühel and the area in front of the school clear for those children who live close enough to walk the entire way.
Safety and exercise – the creation of a parent drop-off zone and a car-free school route represents a win-win situation for everyone involved, especially for the students of Ebensee Elementary School.
The project was officially inaugurated on October 6th.
Ebensee in Motion
Ebensee
in motion
As part of European Mobility Week, Ebensee came alive with a series of activities aimed at activating public spaces and encouraging movement in the historic town center. The event combined playful experiments with awareness-raising exercises to highlight the needs of people with limited mobility, while also celebrating community, diversity, and shared space.
Photo from event in Ebensee
Participants experienced “Blind Walks” while drivers were playfully encouraged to respect the 30 km/h speed limit in the main street — complete with chocolate, apples, and a wink.
At the Kriegerdenkmal square, the focus shifted to community gathering: locals with roots in different countries shared dishes under the motto “Dining Together”, while children transformed manhole covers into colourful flowers and enjoyed playful activities.
The public library hosted storytelling sessions, two folk music groups provided live entertainment, and a temporary mini-golf course delighted visitors of all ages.
Organized by our Ebensee partner Frauen Forum Salzkammergut, the event reflects months of participatory experimentation aimed at rethinking how streets and public spaces can serve people, not just cars.
While there is still work to do, the activities offered a glimpse of a future where walking, playing, and gathering take center stage in the town’s life.
Ebensee youth share their experiences in video
Exploring Public Spaces with the Youth of Ebensee
In our latest film, we follow the youth of Ebensee as they guide us through their town — showing us the places they love, and those they’d rather avoid. Seeing Ebensee through their eyes reveals a fresh perspective on rural life and mobility: how young people experience public spaces, move around, and connect with their community. Their stories highlight both the charm and the challenges of growing up in a place where daily mobility often depends on distance, access, and opportunity. The film is part of our ongoing effort to understand how including unique perspectives can help shape fairer, accessible and more sustainable mobility.
Creating safer school routes in Ebensee
Safer streets
for schoolkids
No more dangerous situations directly in front of the school building—and more physical activity for elementary school children! This is the shared vision driving VS Ebensee school officials, the parent association, and the municipality as they establish a dedicated parent drop-off zone at Rathauspark. The initiative tackles the common problem of traffic congestion and safety hazards that plague school entrances when parents drive directly to school gates.
Photo from workshop, Ebensee
Parent drop-off spot
The parent drop-off project, implemented by our partner Frauen*forum Salzkammergut and the Municipality of Ebensee, builds on extensive community input and official support. After discussions in both the school and environmental committees, an online survey in spring captured parents’ opinions and needs regarding their children’s school routes.
SPES Zukunftsakademie provided expert guidance through the “sicher bewegt” (safely mobile) program supported by Upper Austria.
Creative Pathways and Healthy Habits
Starting this school year, parents driving their children to VS Ebensee use the southern entrance to Rathauspark (adjacent to the gas station) as their drop-off point.
Franz Hofer, freelance sculptor and coordinator of the Malwerkstatt (Bildungszentrum Salzkammergut), will be collaborating with VS Ebensee students to creatively design the future school route through Rathauspark.
Safety and more
This initiative promises elementary school children what every community should provide: fresh air before and after school, quality time with friends, daily movement integrated naturally into their routines—and above all, safe travels. The parent drop-off zone represents Fair Mobility’s practical approach to creating transportation systems that prioritize the most vulnerable road users while building healthier, more active communities.
Main Street Festival in Ebensee
Community
reclaims the road
On August 28th, brilliant summer weather sets the perfect stage for Ebensee’s inaugural Main Street Festival (Hauptstraßen-Gaudi). Under the motto “Share Street Space Fairly,” the town’s main thoroughfare closes to motorized traffic for two hours, transforming from a car corridor into a vibrant community gathering place where people truly matter more than vehicles.
Photo from workshop, Ebensee
Building Awareness Through Joyful Action
The street came alive with an explosion of activity as numerous families responded to the invitation from Bunter Kinderhort and daycare facility M3. Children played football and danceed alongside adults, creating a colorful tapestry of community life that rarely gets to unfold in street spaces. For two precious hours, laughter and connection replace engine noise and exhaust fumes, demonstrating what streets could be when designed for people first.
Unity in organization
This celebration of community and mobility was organized by Frauen*forum Salzkammergut and the Municipality of Ebensee with support from SV Ebensee and ASKÖ dance group Spirit of Team.
As part of the European Fair Mobility project, which Ebensee serves as one of two pilot communities, the Main Street Festival created powerful awareness about fair and safe mobility needs.
Through joyful community action, the event highlights how current street design disadvantages vulnerable groups like children and people with mobility restrictions. By temporarily reclaiming this space, residents experienced firsthand what inclusive, human-centered streets could look like, planting seeds for lasting change in how communities can approach mobility justice.
Ebensee’s Stroller March
Creating fair streets
For everyone
Parents navigating Ebensee’s streets with strollers and young children face constant challenges: dodging cars, maneuvering through narrow or bumpy sidewalks, and feeling threatened by excessive driving speeds. These daily struggles highlight how current street design fails the most vulnerable road users: children and their caregivers. That’s why we organized a stroller march in July of 2025.
Photo from workshop, Ebensee
Reclaiming Streets for the Most Vulnerable
The first-ever Ebensee Stroller March (Kinderwagen-Roas) transforms these frustrations into action as part of the Fair Mobility project. For a brief but meaningful time, parents and children claim the street space for themselves, setting their own pace and priorities. While some drivers react with confusion to this “moving traffic obstacle,” the message resonates clearly: young children represent the most vulnerable road users and deserve consideration from everyone sharing the streets.
Building Community Through Mobility Justice
The march was a great success and it helped build local connestions. Stations along the route from the town hall through the city center provided entertainment for children and fostered positive encounters between participants and Ebensee residents. This community engagement embodies Fair Mobility’s mission to raise awareness about the conditions necessary for safe, equitable mobility and fair access to public spaces.
Through actions like the Stroller March, Fair Mobility demonstrates how participatory approaches can challenge existing power dynamics in transportation planning, ensuring that the needs of caregivers and children (often overlooked in mobility policies) become visible and valued in creating more inclusive communities.