The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has recently secured a national grant aimed at enhancing youth traffic safety education. This funding, courtesy of the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Road Safety Foundation, amounts to $25,000 and is designated for the statewide proliferation of "traffic gardens."
As small-scale mock-ups of real streets, these traffic gardens are equipped with various traffic features, allowing children to navigate a road environment safely on foot, bicycles, or miniature cars. According to MoDOT's announcement, there are plans to implement at least ten traffic garden events specifically targeting rural or high-need elementary schools.
Jon Nelson, State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer, emphasized the value of these installations, telling MoDOT, "Traffic gardens provide a safe environment to help develop safety habits in the next generation of drivers." He added that the grant would bolster MoDOT's efforts in encouraging the adoption of traffic gardens by schools and communities, offering sustained support even beyond the tenure of the grant.
The same MoDOT release confirmed that while the grant could fund traffic garden implementations for an estimated 10 communities, five have already made firm commitments. For communities interested in this project, MoDOT has invited queries, urging them to reach out to the Highway Safety and Traffic Division at 800-800-BELT.
