A traffic garden is a miniature, child-sized version of real roads and intersections, designed to teach children and families about road safety – Image: Eco Superior THUNDER BAY – Eco Superior celebrated Ontario Bike Month with a community event at Thunder Bay’s first traffic garden, located in West End Park. The gathering showcased how cycling spaces aimed at kids can help young riders gain confidence, learn about road safety, and develop active transportation habits that may last into their adult lives.
A Traffic Garden for Kids and Families
A traffic garden is a small-scale version of actual roads and intersections, created for children and families to practice road safety in a safe, car-free environment. The West End Park traffic garden offers young cyclists and pedestrians a spot to understand the rules of the road, practice hand signals, navigate intersections, and build safe travel habits through play. “This celebration at Thunder Bay’s new traffic garden showcases how young riders can build skills and confidence in a safe, car-free place,” said Ashley Priem, co-executive director at Eco Superior. Priem mentioned that riders who feel more skilled and confident are likely to become active commuters and engage in local initiatives like the Active Commute Challenge and Ontario Bike Month happening in June.The City Backs Active Transportation Education
The City of Thunder Bay supported the traffic garden project aimed at helping families explore active transportation in an easy-to-access way. <p“ The City of Thunder Bay is proud to support the traffic garden project,” said Matthew Lawrence, mobility coordinator for the City of Thunder Bay. “It gives children a safe place to learn cycling skills, practice traffic rules and hand signals, and gain confidence riding with their families.” For Thunder Bay, where planning for active transportation needs to consider road design, seasonal weather conditions, and neighborhood connectivity, projects like the traffic garden introduce cycling safety from an early age.Cycling Confidence Growth in Thunder Bay
Ken Shields, a safe cycling instructor from Just Bike Thunder Bay, stated that teaching kids how to ride safely can boost cycling participation throughout the city. <p“ I know that the best way to grow cycling infrastructure is to increase demand and ridership,” Shields said. “Teaching young people to safely ride their bicycles while having fun will grow cycling in Thunder Bay.” The traffic garden aims to be a community space where children, parents, and caregivers can practice safe biking and walking while learning how active transportation fits into everyday life.The Connection to Ontario Bike Month
Ontario Bike Month occurs every June encouraging residents to think about biking for commuting purposes as well as recreation or short local trips. In Thunder Bay, education on cycling safety along with proper infrastructure remains vital parts of wider discussions around transportation options, public health concerns, and neighborhood accessibility. The Eco Superior event was made possible thanks to funding from the City of Thunder Bay. More information about traffic gardens is available at trafficgardens. com.Source link
