Beep Beep
New East Austin bike traffic garden teaches kids the rules of the road
A traffic garden being made in another city.
Kids aren't exactly rushing to get into drivers ed classes — thankfully, there are other ways to learn how to pilot a bicycle responsibly. Austin Parks Foundation (APF) and Austin Parks and Recreation (APR) have teamed up with East Austin's Amigos de Parque Zaragoza to build a "bicycle traffic garden" at Parque Zaragoza, where kids can practice biking and road safety. The traffic garden will open August 21.
The park will take shape as a "scaled-down street network," according to a press release. It's based on a design by TrafficGardens.com, a project that advocates for opening traffic gardens around the world. Using examples from the website as reference, "scaled-down" is literal — instead of abstract obstacle courses, these parks really are like small city roads, incorporating elements like yellow center lines, crosswalks, road signs, bike lanes (ironically), and even medians with green space.
Most important — and central to the idea regardless of design — is these roadways won't be shared with cars.
This idea moved into town when Amigos de Parque Zaragoza wanted to transform an underused parking lot next to the recreation center into something that would support community programming. The group received an initial $100,000 grant from Project for Public Spaces via APF, followed by an additional $50,000 from APF for accessible walkways and ramps.
The city also promises other additions to the park including new benches, picnic tables, and games and activities painted on the parking lot. It has also specified the bicycle garden's desired users: children participating in programming by the Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center and APR’s Therapeutic Recreation Services, plus any other members of the public who want to try it.
APF will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 pm on Thursday, August 21, with refreshments.
