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WElcome!
Discover Traffic Gardens is a small business committed to providing services, resources, and expertise to support the growth of traffic gardens and demonstrate their value for communities. Our goal is to create engaging spaces where children and new riders can build independent walking and biking skills, while learning about safe and thoughtful street design through hands-on activities. In addition to providing an overview of our services to help bring these transformative spaces to your community, this site serves as an information hub on traffic gardens across the U.S. and beyond.
What is a traffic garden?
A traffic garden is a set of small-sized streets with scaled-down traffic features where children and other new learners practice, learn and have fun in a place that is free from motor vehicles. Traffic Gardens are known by many terms including Safety Towns, Safety Villages, Learn-to-Cycle Tracks, Traffic Playgrounds and many similar terms. These mini-street networks provide a practical, hands-on way to learn about biking skills, road safety, and how traffic works. They serve as a controlled environment where kids can gain confidence and master critical life-long skills and key concepts for getting around safely. Because of the joy they bring to children and their role in engaging the community, traffic gardens often become highly cherished and beloved local amenities where memories are made.
In the United States, many children lack access to safe streets limiting their ability to navigate and experience these environments. In fact, the rate of children learning how to bike has dropped by over 50% in less than two decades in the U.S. This significant decline highlights a growing gap in essential skills, contributing to reduced independence and increased vulnerability in navigating public spaces. Traffic gardens address this by offering a safe space for teaching biking and hosting programs.
Watch this 2-minute traffic garden explainer!
Great 1-minute video of a traffic garden in action!
Traffic Garden Maps​
​These maps are ongoing projects to track traffic gardens worldwide, showcasing mini-street networks that have taught children street safety for decades. They also support university research on these installations and their impact. Please contact Fionnuala with updates.
A Typology of Traffic Gardens: Understanding Variations
There is no single 'typical' traffic garden; instead, there are many variations in their creation, layout, and appearance of these small sets of streets. The design of traffic gardens varies based on the types of users, skills being taught, available space, set up needs and budget resources. Currently in the United States, most traffic gardens being installed are of the 'traffic garden court' variety, although historically, many were of the 'traffic garden park' type. Despite differences in design and implementation, all aim to create a safe environment for new learners to walk, roll, and ride. The innate design flexibility of traffic gardens results in many unique and creative installations, some with murals and art, and many fostering community involvement.
TRAFFIC GARDEN COURT
Traffic Garden Courts are outdoor areas with striping and pavement markings applied on hard surfaces that simulate miniature street networks. They are typically installed on existing playgrounds, rehabilitated sports courts or repurposed parking lots though new surfaces are sometimes constructed. They can be installed relatively quickly and at an affordable cost. Modern high-quality surface-applied products offer vibrant, colorful appearances, reduced maintenance, and some even feature solar-reflective, heat-reducing properties.
Over the past decade in the U.S., the concept has gained momentum in parks and school systems. For example, Milwaukee Public Schools plans to have a Traffic Garden Court in every elementary school soon. Similarly, public schools in the District of Columbia, Seattle, and elsewhere have introduced initiatives to install traffic gardens at every elementary school. Placing traffic gardens directly on school grounds ensures that students of all ages, stages, backgrounds and abilities have consistent access to this learning resource.
Traffic Garden Courts are often open to the public during daylight hours or outside school hours. Typically, they do not require staffing or buildings, and users often need to supply their own bicycles or scooters.
TRAFFIC GARDEN PARK
Traffic Garden Park are outdoor facilities designed like a mini-street network, complete with curbed, asphalt streets. These facilities are typically standalone, equipped with staff and provide a variety of riding equipment from bicycles to pedal-powered or battery-operated vehicles for use in structured programs. Historically known as 'safety towns' or 'safety villages,' these types of facilities were built extensively in the U.S. during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Despite being cherished by generations of children and their communities, the construction of this style of facility with real small-scale streets has declined significantly. The high costs associated with planning and building—encompassing site grading, drainage, permits, and construction—have likely deterred new installations. Nonetheless, many of the original facilities have withstood the test of time, remaining operational for decades and still regularly used today. Ohio and Illinois, in particular, host several notable examples of these enduring and beloved community assets.
Pop-Up or Temporary Traffic Gardens
Pop-up and temporary traffic gardens are both examples of street networks with traffic features applied to outdoor hard surfaces. Pop-up traffic gardens are typically set up for a few hours or days, while temporary traffic gardens stay in place for several weeks to a few months. Both types of traffic gardens can be assembled by a team of volunteers using tools and supplies readily available from hardware stores. The key difference lies in the materials: pop-up gardens use fully removable materials, while temporary gardens are built with more durable materials suited for extended outdoor use. These short-term traffic gardens are versatile and can be set up in places like parking lots, playgrounds, or temporarily closed streets. Volunteers often help run the associated programs and activities.
Mobile Traffic Garden Kit
A mobile traffic garden kit is a portable set of materials that can be used to create a small- scale traffic garden either indoors or outdoors and that can be easily dismantled and packed away after a session or program. It is designed to provide a reduced version of a street network while considering practical aspects such as portability and storage. Although there are currently no commercially available mobile traffic garden kits in the U.S., many communities create their own kits using a range of off-
the-shelf products customized to suit their needs.
One of the main challenges when assembling a kit is
making it truly portable so that it can be easily set up and
taken down without too much staff effort. To achieve this,
the choice of materials, storage containers, and carrying
system is critical. While the process of moving and setting
up the traffic garden may take some time and effort, careful
planning and smart material selection can result in a useful
and effective kit.
Traffic Garden Features
Traffic gardens vary greatly, from simple painted lines on parking lots to detailed, small-scale cities, resulting in a wide range of features across installations. With no standardized design guidance, these spaces often showcase unique elements that reflect local character and the specific efforts of their original champions. While some sites have evolved over time, others remain unchanged from their original design. Below are features often found in existing traffic gardens.
PAINTED STREETS
Some traffic gardens are created by using specialized paint and coating materials to recreate a scaled-down version of a street network on a hard surface. They can incorporate a variety of street types, from simple...
PAVED STREETS
Some traffic gardens feature asphalt streets, either with or without curbs. These streets are scaled-down replicas of real-world roads, with widths varying significantly across...
INTERSECTIONS
Intersections are a key feature, vital for both learning and appearance. They help new riders advance from simply biking to better understanding how streets work by introducing points of interaction that mimic real-world scenarios. These intersections—whether 4-way stops, 3-way T-intersections, or roundabouts—typically include traffic elements like stop or yield signs, pavement markings, and pedestrian crossings to enhance the learning experience.
Intersections are where road users have to make quick decisions—whether to stop, yield, or proceed. In traffic gardens, new riders can safely practice this decision-making process repeatedly, without the risk associated with actual traffic. They also learn right-of-way rules and how to interpret road signs and signals, all in a hands-on way. Successfully navigating intersections requires looking, signaling, and moving in coordination, allowing new riders to improve these multitasking skills in a comfortable environment.
Traffic SIGNS
Traffic signs are essential in traffic gardens as they convey the information about how intersections and streets operate, complementing the information provided by the lines and pavement markings. They are key also to creating the realistic "traffic feel," helping users believe they are navigating a real traffic environment. Signs like stop, yield, crossing, directional, and railroad crossbucks, can be reduced in size, portable, or stenciled onto the pavement. Portable signs are popular but require a mechanism such as a heavy base to stay upright. Stenciling offers a durable, cost-effective solution, with professional-grade stencils available. Installed signs are uncommon on painted traffic courts but more frequently seen in park installations, positioned off the riding area.
Information Signs
Many traffic gardens feature a prominent, colorful information sign at or near the entrance, varying in style and content. These signs play an important role in guiding users and ensuring a positive experience. Typically, they start with a welcoming message to set the tone and may outline rules for using the traffic garden. In addition, behavioral tips, such as reminders to be courteous of others, and safety messages help reinforce safe practices.
Practical information, such as local helmet laws, contact details for maintenance, or QR codes linking to bike safety resources, can further enhance the experience. Overall, these signs contribute to making the traffic garden a welcoming, safe, and well-maintained space for all users.
Art & Murals
Traffic Gardens, especially those painted on surfaces, provide an excellent canvas for adding artwork. Many sites have incorporated vibrant surface murals, transforming the space into a collaborative work of public art that celebrates local culture and enhances visual appeal. These murals not only enrich the learning environment but also create opportunities to showcase community-driven projects or highlight ecological themes relevant to the area. In some cases, traffic gardens have been used as platforms to memorialize local figures or reflect the community’s identity through various artistic installations. Through creative use of surface-applied products, these spaces serve as a meaningful way to connect the traffic garden to the surrounding neighborhood, fostering a sense of pride and ownership.
Mini-BUILDINGS
Some Traffic Garden Courts or Parks feature buildings to create the look and feel of a small town or city. These structures range from basic painted outlines on asphalt to simple models of community buildings, and occasionally detailed replicas of local landmarks, like those in Knoxville’s Safety City. Often, these models are created through community efforts, such as Eagle Scout projects, and are frequently sponsored by local businesses or organizations, with real business names displayed. These sponsor signs add realism while also fostering community involvement and highlighting local partnerships.
Rolling EQUIPMENT
Most public traffic gardens in the U.S. require children to bring their own rolling devices, such as balance bikes, pedal bikes, and scooters. In contrast, school-based traffic gardens often supply balance bikes, pedal bikes, and adaptive bikes for their programs and maintain fleets of these devices for use at the facility. Some locations offer bicycles for students participating in their programs and may permit the use of other wheeled devices, like bikes and scooters, outside of scheduled activities. Additionally, certain programs collaborate with providers of adaptive devices to enhance accessibility for participants. Some traffic garden parks even provide pedal cars or electric cars for use within their programs.
STORAGE
Storage is crucial for traffic gardens with portable equipment, for both protecting equipment and keeping everything organized and secure. Solutions typically include onsite lockable sheds or larger units like modified shipping containers that house items such as portable signs, cones, bicycles, helmets, and training props. Key factors when choosing storage are security, accessibility, space, and, in some cases, climate control. Sheds can also double as program hubs for bike repair or educational activities. Where sheds aren’t feasible, options include portable storage carts, lockable bins, or mobile containers. Regular maintenance like inventory management and safety checks keeps storage areas functional and clutter-free. Thoughtful siting and planning of the storage enhances program effectiveness and sustainability.
OTHER TRAFFIC GARDEN FEATURES & AMENITIES
Traffic gardens are designed not just for learning and play, but also to create inviting spaces where families, educators, and communities can gather. Some common features that enhance the usability and enjoyment of traffic gardens include benches (offering comfortable seating for adults), picnic tables (encouraging family picnics and group activities), shade trees, and 'plazas' (ideal for organizing group lessons, events, and providing a central hub for activities).
Additionally, a handful of traffic gardens go beyond the basics to include creative elements that mimic real-world infrastructure and daily experiences. For example, miniature car washes provide imaginative play opportunities for young children while reinforcing concepts like vehicle maintenance and safety. Similarly, incorporating EV (electric vehicle) parking stations helps introduce emerging transportation technologies.
Looking for more Traffic Garden History?
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