What are traffic gardens and why should we have them?

Traffic gardens are miniaturized streetscapes, complete with small-scale roads, intersections, crosswalks, roundabouts, turn lanes, and warning and directional signs that replicate actual street layouts and traffic patterns you would find in a busy urban or suburban community. Sometimes referred to as “safety towns,” traffic gardens are designed to teach young children the rules of the road and to provide them with a safe space, free of cars and other motor vehicles, for biking and other forms of outdoor play and learning. Traffic gardens have been established throughout the United States and are often located at sites offering large areas of asphalt, blacktops, or hard surfaces such as those found at abandoned or underutilized parking lots, playgrounds, basketball courts, and recreational facilities.

Two traffic gardens were recently installed at a public elementary school located in an underserved community in the Northeast part of Washington, D.C. These were developed through a partnership that included Geoge Mason University, Discover Traffic Gardens, the architectural firm of Torti Gallas + Partners, the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Funding was provided by a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Vision Zero grant, an initiative focused on the improvement of road safety.

The project brought together residents of the community—including children, parents, and teachers—who shared their thoughts with members of the Mason team, DDOT, and DC Public Schools on the design of the traffic gardens. As part of this process, age-appropriate activity kits and curriculum materials were developed that encouraged young students to think of ideas on the placement of pedestrian crossings, stop signs, traffic lights, turn lanes, and other typical elements of a streetscape.

The traffic gardens project gave children early experience in learning how roadways are planned and provided them with an important civics lesson on how to work with local government officials and neighborhood groups on issues important to their community. And, of course, the finished product gave them their own miniaturized world where they could develop lifelong skills in bike safety and the rules of the road and one where they could play and have fun free from the dangers of motor vehicles.

To learn more about traffic gardens, read this article co-authored by Dr. Ellen Drogin Rodgers, Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs in the College of Education and Human Development and faculty in the Sport and Recreation Studies and Recreation Management programs in George Mason University’s School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management (SRTM). To learn more about the degree options offered by the school, please visit our website.