Roseville investing in traffic garden to build safer, more confident young cyclists
The Roseville City Council approved plans for a traffic garden, a scaled-down street network where children and new bike riders can practice road safety in a car-free environment.
The $247,821 project, funded by the city’s Transportation Fund, will transform a section of downtown Roseville on the 200 block of Oak Street, between the downtown roundabout and Dry Creek, into a miniature street network.
Using painted road markings, signs and intersections, the space will allow children to practice riding bikes and learn the rules of the road before riding in traffic.
City officials said the traffic garden is expected to open within the next year but did not provide a specific timeline.
Suzanne Engelke, the city’s alternative transportation analyst, said the traffic garden will provide a safe, car-free space where children can learn traffic safety while riding bikes, scooters and roller skates.
“These interactive spaces build confidence, teach essential life skills, and bring communities together,” Engelke said.
The city tested the concept during spring break with a temporary traffic garden created with chalk at Coyote Ridge Elementary School. The program was also offered this summer through the city’s daycare program.
“New riders tell us it’s a fun way to learn how to go through a roundabout, what it means to yield, and it’s just plain fun to get on a bike with your friends,” Engelke said.
