Traffic Gardens at Schools Promote Health, Safety and Lots of Fun

Child on bike at the public health traffic garden

Riding a bicycle is a hallmark of the childhood experience. Mecklenburg County Public Health’s Safe Routes To School (SRTS) has capitalized on that to bring an innovative program to select Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in public health priority neighborhoods. Traffic Gardens, small-scale streetscapes designed for educational programming, provide the opportunity for bicycle skill-building and active fun. 

“We design each Traffic Garden to utilize the unique layout of the school, incorporating sidewalks and courtyards that are specific features at a school. From there, we create a design that balances aspects of fun with specific learning opportunities through the inclusion of a variety of intersections and road markings for students to navigate successfully,” said Michael Eastwood, Mecklenburg County Public Health Safe Routes to School coordinator, who leads the Traffic Gardens program.  

The Traffic Gardens were installed at three CMS elementary schools in 2023 with County funding allocated to address health disparities.  

  • Winding Springs Elementary School 

  • Oakhurst STEAM Academy 

  • Winterfield Elementary School 

Traffic Garden installations support the County’s Public Health Safe Routes to School mission. SRTS supports communities in creating opportunities for children to increase their daily physical activity by safely walking, biking, and rolling to, from, or at school.  

“Not every child has opportunities to learn to ride a bike and do it safely. We want to help children learn this lifelong skill and Traffic Gardens will make it fun. They are designed to allow students and adults to learn how to safely navigate our roadways as a cyclist or a pedestrian in a car-free environment,” said Dr. Kimberly Scott, Mecklenburg County Public Health assistant health director for Population Health. 

Bicycle education programming is also offered to CMS kindergarten and first-grade students through the All Kids Bike program, currently at 35 schools in partnership with Mecklenburg County Public Health, CMS Health and Physical Education department, and Trips for Kids. As Traffic Gardens are installed, the All Kids Bike curriculum and programming will help to educate students about traffic safety. All students at the school and anyone in the community can access the Traffic Garden for learning and play. 

Please join us at a neighborhood event to spotlight Traffic Gardens and see it in action!