Traffic park


A traffic park or children's traffic park is a park in which children can learn the rules of the road. A traffic park may also be called a traffic garden, transportation park, safety village, or Safety Town depending on locale.
Traffic parks are frequently created as an attraction within a larger park. In other cases, they are single-use parks and often small in scale. They can be found in urban areas as well as rural areas.
Children are allowed to use bicycles or pedal-powered cars to navigate the streets and operate according to traffic laws. Sometimes they share a buggy with their parent, who can provide guidance as they circle the park. Typically, traffic parks are scaled-down versions of real street networks, with the lane and street-width proportional to the smaller vehicles. Often they include operating traffic signals and during busy times are even staffed with traffic police.
One of the intentions of the traffic park is to improve awareness of traffic safety among school-aged children. Many traffic parks enable children to gain hands-on experience crossing streets and with bicycle or other pedestrian safety challenges in a highly controlled environment devoid of actual motor vehicles.
Traffic parks exist throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Traffic parks in Asia and Europe are focused on traffic safety through pedal-powered vehicles. In the United States and Canada they use bicycles as well as electric, motorized vehicles. These North American parks are called safety villages, because of broader emphasis on safety for fire, electrical, food and other educational purposes.
In the United Kingdom parks are called experiential safety and lifeskills centres, with education mainly delivered indoors in life-sized sets. There are 11 in England, two in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.

Parks

Australia

Belgium

  • Mechelen

Canada

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, there is over 150 traffic parks, that are permanently situated in nearly every town or city of population over 20 000. There is also the concept of "moving" parks that are transported from place to place.
  • Prosek, Prague
  • Olomouc
  • Velké Meziříčí

Finland

  • Lasten liikennekaupunki in Helsinki, Finland. It opened on 20 May 1958, near the Olympic Stadium. It received an upgrade in the 1960s, adding small traffic lights.
  • Kupittaanpuisto park in Turku, Finland.
  • Rahtarit-liikennepuisto in Kangasala, Finland.
  • Hollihaan liikennepuisto in Oulu, Finland.
  • Lasten liikennekaupunki in Lappeenranta, Finland.

France

  • Marseille

Germany

  • In Germany traffic parks for bicycles are widespread and a part of school education. The road maps are often found painted on the ground of schoolyards of primary schools and equipped with temporary traffic signs during lessons. In cities, there are often dedicated traffic parks with permanent signs and small traffic lights.

Hong Kong

Indonesia

  • Bandung

Japan

  • Fuchu, Tokyo
  • Koganei, Tokyo
  • Mitaka, Tokyo
  • Suginami, Tokyo
  • Tama, Tokyo

Russia

  • Автоград, St. Petersburg

Netherlands

  • Utrecht

North Korea

Turkey

  • Serdivan Belediyesi Trafik Park. Biggest children traffic park in Asia. Built by Serdivan Municipality. This traffic park is a non-profit organization. There are 20 electric cars, 30 bicycle helmets, 10 bicycles, a classroom for theorical traffic education, a mini-hospital for first-aid education in the park.

United Kingdom

  • Milton Keynes
  • Safety Central, Lymm

United States