Traffic Garden — A Great Place for Kids to Learn Road Safety 

© kanton basel-stadt

Located on the border between Basel and Allschwil (Wasgenring 158), the Verkehrsgarten (traffic garden) Wasgenring has been a great place for school-aged children from the region to learn and practice cycling in a safe environment for generations. It is an outdoor park that mimics a miniature city with streets, painted road lines, street signs, traffic lights, sidewalks, bicycle paths, a tram crossing, and even a roundabout. Here, children can ride their bicycle, scooter, or other devices and practice the different aspects of riding, including turning, stopping, hand signals, reading signs, and changing lanes without the dangers of actual car traffic. In a playful and protected way, they can practice proper road manners—from cycling and observing traffic signs to crossing the street safely. The park is run by the cantonal police, which uses the park to teach traffic safety to school classes. Police experts accompany the kids on site, explain traffic rules, and then practice correct behavior on the road with the children. Outside of those formal instructions, families and children can use the park to learn and practice traffic rules on their own.

Over the past few months, however, the Verkehrsgarten has been partially closed and has undergone a comprehensive renovation and redesign with new lanes, updated signage, and barrier-free access, creating a realistic yet safe learning environment. It has now been reopened, so that families and children can again use the facility. From mid-March to mid-November and during all school holidays, the traffic garden is open daily from 08:00-20:00. The rest of the year (mid-March to mid-November), private use of the traffic garden is limited to after-school hours when it is not used by the cantonal police. During those warmer months, the Verkehrsgarten is open to the public after school during the week—that is, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 16:00-20:00 and Wednesday from 12:00-20:00. On weekends, it is open all day (8:00-20:00). Use of the traffic garden is free of charge and no registration is required. Just bring your kids and their preferred means of transportation and get them started!

https://www.bs.ch/jsd/polizei/fuer-ihre-sicherheit/praevention/verkehrsgarten#oeffnungszeiten

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