Do you remember Road Safety Park? It used to only be open to schools back in the day. I remember that due to the lack of vehicles, I was always made a pedestrian and never had as much fun as those who were in go-karts or bicycles. We'd have a little card each and try to score points for crossing at designated mini traffic lights or zebra crossings. Those were the days.
Well now it's open to public, everyday, at absolutely no cost! It's a tad bit run down, but it's still incredibly fun for kids, and much much safer than the crowded bicycle track along the East Coast Park. There are no longer vehicles for grabs so bring your own wheels. Because it's now open to all, parents are free to walk on the roads behind their kiddos, if they so wished. I love it. If it had been the old Road Safety Park, there would be many more unsatisfied children like I had been. Now, even 3.5 year olds can join in the fun. Yippee!
Everything was mini sized, like a little functioning network of infrastructure. There was a petrol kiosk (complete with petrol pumps and a convenience store, but no toilet much to our disappointment), a vehicle service centre, bus stops, parking lots and a car inspection centre.
Love how the kids made the adults cross every single zebra crossing (and Poppy demanded "Put your hand up!") and at every traffic light. Love how they fitted right in with the little traffic lights. Loved how they tested out each others' wheels and deliberately caused traffic conjestions. Love how they were so carefree and played so well together. What a beautiful day.
But on a more serious note, road safety is a big issue in Singapore. Did you know that there were over 8,000 cases of traffic accidents (both fatal and injury) last year? Even on our road, we've seen the blue triangular signs that say "Do you have news of this accident?" too often, and two of fatal accidents? This is why we've been telling Poppy to raise her arm when she's crossing the road, and to always look both sides. We hope we'll be visiting the Road Safety Park more often, with the aim of drilling the message of road safety even further. But first, my legs have to rest and recover. Words like "water retention", "pregnancy" and "vericose veins" mean nothing to an energetic 3.5 year old.
The Road Safety Park is located at 910 East Coast Park Service Road, Singapore 449889. By car, take Exit 10A on the ECP, then turn into East Coast Park Service Road. The Road Safety Park is on the right hand side, away from Bedok Jetty, away from the Lagoon Hawker Centre, and toward Big Splash.
This is definitely counting as a "C" activitiy in our "Attacking the Alphabet" series! Coming up soon :)
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