Got kids learning to bike? At Boise ‘traffic garden,’ they’ll learn safety skills
New to biking and daunted by Boise’s busy streets? Look no further than a mini streetscape in Ann Morrison Park. It’s got roundabouts, yield signs and road markings — but not a car in sight.
This “traffic garden,” installed by the Boise Bicycle Project near the park’s softball fields, is a miniature version of a street system that lets new bikers, young and old, practice road skills and familiarize themselves with signs and markers on the streets, the organization said in a news release. Walkers and rollers are welcome, too.
The project stems from years of coordination with Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department and SHIFT, an initiative by Idaho’s Office of Highway Safety to reduce crashes. They aim to make transportation safety resources available to residents as Idaho sees a 20-year high in traffic deaths, according to the release.
“When kids learn to ride safely in a fun, welcoming place like a traffic garden, they’re doing more than just building confidence on two wheels — they’re learning how to share the road, respect others and look out for their community,” Josephine Middleton, the highway safety manager for the Idaho Transportation Department, said in the release. “We hope those lessons stay with them as they grow, and they take that awareness into everything from biking with friends to eventually driving a car.”
At a “First Lap Launch Party” at 10 a.m. Saturday, the Boise Bicycle Project plans to offer bike safety lessons, a mobile repair station for bike tuneups, and loaner bikes and helmets for kids to take a lap on the course. The organization will also offer regular safety courses throughout the year.
Kids who complete safety programming can earn a voucher for a refurbished bicycle of their own, according to the release.
“We are so excited to invite our community to use this traffic garden to its fullest extent,” Devin McComas, the organization’s executive director, said in the release.
