‘Many children do not know the traffic rules’, yet traffic gardens are disappearing

• Vincent van Rijn

  reporter Domestic

With a working railway crossing, roundabouts, traffic lights and of course many different traffic signs, the traffic garden in Utrecht’s Park Transwijk is a good training ground for novice road users. Every year many school classes take place in the pedal cars, but there are also elderly people who want to practice with their mobility scooter and refugees who take a cycling course. Now that the municipality of Utrecht is threatening to stop the annual subsidy, this may come to an end.

Coordinator Astrid van Maarseveen thinks this is an eternal shame. “Children go to school and receive traffic lessons in class. But when school classes come here, we often hear: ‘This is such a nice addition.’ This is very realistic for children but also for people with disabilities to practice in a quiet environment.”

More traffic gardens are having a hard time. The well-known Traffic Park Assen closed its doors years ago. Last year, the traffic garden in Drachten also stopped conducting practical traffic exams due to declining income and a lack of volunteers.

Pedal cars in the Utrecht traffic garden may come to a standstill

Koos Moroz used to be a chief inspector at the Utrecht police. Nowadays he volunteers in a police uniform and helps out in the traffic garden as a traffic officer. “I try to teach children the rules of the road. Sometimes you have to say the same thing twenty times. But something always sticks.”

According to him, the traffic lessons are desperately needed. “Many children are taken everywhere by cargo bike or car. What do they still learn?”

The Verkeerstuin Utrecht Foundation receives a total of 40,000 euros in subsidies annually. In a letter to the municipal council, councilor Linda Voortman (GroenLinks) recently announced that this contribution will stop: “The social domain is under pressure. Very difficult choices have to be made.”

The foundation may still be eligible for a partial subsidy, but the amount is still uncertain.

Asking more money from schools and other visitors is difficult, according to coordinator Astrid van Maarseveen. “We ask for accessible contributions from schools and other visitors because we do not want to exclude anyone from being able to take traffic lessons properly. If the subsidy disappears, we will need a very good financial partner or sponsor. Otherwise we would have to make the contributions so high that schools and other participants drop out.”

The traffic garden remains hopeful that a solution will be found and continues to talk to the municipality.