‘Traffic garden’ offers safety lessons to kids
A new “traffic garden” on Graham Road is aimed at teaching children and families about pedestrian safety.
Painted markings on a blacktop next to the Graham Road Community Center mimic real-life street conditions, such as crosswalks and traffic flow. Signs posted on the fence explain the rules of the road and how to engage with the traffic garden.
That location is close to the intersection of Graham Road and Arlington Boulevard, a traffic hot spot that sees more than 51,000 vehicles a day. It’s also a dangerous spot for pedestrians: There was a fatal pedestrian accident in 2016 and another in 2018.
It’s also a good spot for a traffic garden because the community center has a School Age Child Care program, and it’s next to the Kingsley Commons community, where many children live.
Related story: Fatal pedestrian accident on Route 50
Development of the traffic garden was led by the Fairfax County Health Department in collaboration with the county’s transportation department, the police, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Providence Supervisor Dalia Palchik.
This is the county’s fourth traffic garden, said Anna Ricklin, health in all policies manager at the Health Department. The others are at Poe Middle School in Annandale and at schools in Chantilly and Alexandria.
“Ensuring that people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can walk safely is an essential part of a healthy community,” Ricklin said. “Anything we can do as a county to improve the walkability of our streets and teach people safe walking habits will reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths and validate walking as a viable means of transportation.”
“Anything we can do as a county to improve the walkability of our streets and teach people safe walking habits will reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths and validate walking as a viable means of transportation.”
This is an incredibly infuriating quote. Certainly not "anything", because we aren't actually doing anything to promote alternative modes of transportation. Walking being the top mode neglected.
The concept of the "traffic garden" is extremely odd, and it clearly shows just how flawed our landscape is. What it says is: "In case you ever have to walk anywhere, which we hope you don't because it is extremely dangerous and we prefer it that way, here is how to do it!". We need to create an artificial representation of a walkable landscape just to teach kids how to operate in one? The whole thing is bizarre.
If we truly cared about walkability, we would be putting more effort into transitioning to a pedestrian-oriented landscape in real-life. We wouldn't be patting ourselves on the back for "traffic gardens".
If you could see the way many parents cross streets and parking lots, you'd understand why children need to be taught pedestrian safety explicitly. Far too many aren't getting it from their clueless and downright reckless parents. I don't drive extra-extra-slowly in my school's parking lot because of the kids; I do it because of the adults walking with them. They don't look to either side even once–much less take the time to have their children practice it.
You can pout and fume all you want about this ideal or that one, but you'll be much better served if you try living in reality.
–kda