What is the purpose of a traffic garden?

Walking and biking provides great transportation options and health benefits for children and students, particularly in areas with a safe school zone with walking and biking infrastructure. Children need a safe environment to learn and practice biking and walking skills. Children who learn to navigate roads as pedestrians and cyclists become drivers who watch for and respect the pedestrians and cyclists that share the road. Many child cyclists do not know the rules of the road, resulting in unintentional pedestrian injuries. This is a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 19.

How to Make a Traffic Garden

Safe Kids Washington and the Washington State Traumatic Brain (TBI) Strategic Partnership Advisory Council have put together materials to learn more about or design a Traffic Garden in your community.

Learn about different types of Traffic Garden, download the tool kit, and complete a fun activity book.

We also have a follow up survey for Traffic Garden participants in several languages that will help provide us with information on the impact these activities are having on local communities.

Traffic Garden concepts

A traffic garden is a small version of roadways painted onto a paved surface in a park, closed off street, or school yard, providing a safe place to practice the rules of the road. Evidence shows that, along with parent-initiated training and school-based training programs, a bit of fun can yield promising results in behaviors and retention. These concepts, along with the purpose, are important elements when working with partners or potential funders.

Traffic Garden Designs: Permanent Style

Permanent Traffic Gardens are well-planned, long term road-scape installations. These are often dedicated educational facilities or can double as a playground.

Traffic Garden Designs: Temporary Style

Temporary Traffic Garden designs (also called Pop Up Traffic Gardens) are quick, simple road-scapes that can be made in under three hours and will last on the ground until it rains or is scuffed enough to no longer be seen well. These are great to introduce communities to the traffic garden concept.

Resources for Traffic Safety Gardens

Download the Safe Kids Washington Traffic Garden Toolkit and Safe Routes Activity Book

Traffic Garden Toolkit

Safe Routes activity book

Traffic Garden Posters

Download posters for the Safe Kids WA Traffic Garden Toolkit - available in 12 languages

English

Spanish

Somali

Ukranian

Vietnamese

Arabic

Cambodian-Khmer

Chinese

Farsi

Korean

Pashto

Russian

Poster for Safe Kids Traffic Garden Toolkit

Traffic Garden Survey

Safe Kids WA wants your help!

If you set up a Traffic Garden in your community, we encourage you to share this survey with anyone who participates. The information participants provide will help us understand the impact these activities are having on local communities.

The survey is designed to be done online within 2 minutes or less, and is available in English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese and Ukrainian. There are 3 ways to use the survey: an online link, a downloadable PDF or a scannable QR code.

Here is the link for the form:

https://forms.office.com/g/6hzJ4zkydR

If using the downloadable PDF form, please send completed PDF Traffic Garden survey forms to safekidswashington@doh.wa.gov

If using the QR code, place the QR code on a sign or flyer for parents to scan with the camera app on any cell phone. Open the camera app, point the camera toward the QR code and the link should pop up automatically.