Safety Town

[Scott5114]

Norman, Oklahoma has this thing called "Safety Town" in the mall parking lot. GSV link

Safety Town is a unique educational experience for children ages 5 and 6. Held each year during the month of June, Safety Town educates participants on bicycle, street and personal safety. The course also discusses stranger safety, use of 911, and fire safety. Each week-long session is free and consists of five 50-minute classes. Upon completion of the program, each child receives a graduation certificate and the helmet that they wore during safety training.

What is interesting about this is that it has a tiny (apparently working!) stoplight and genuine traffic signs made by the municipal streets department. And I suspect they sometimes train their own workers by sending them out to Safety Town, as over the years I've noticed that the street names change from time to time and it got the 2009-style green mastarm signs before most of the rest of the city did. 

Anyone know of anything like this anywhere else?

[Rothman]

Yep.  It's a nationwide initiative of sorts, so I've seen various municipalities do something similar.

[Scott5114]

Yep.  It's a nationwide initiative of sorts, so I've seen various municipalities do something similar.

Not going to name names?

[Max Rockatansky]

The military occasionally does a temporary concept during things like National Night Out.  If they do it again in our parking lot I'll grab some photos. 

[elsmere241]

I remember it being in the Weekly Reader when I was in kindergarten (1978-79).  I added it to the list of things that didn't happen in Nashville where I lived at the time.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Several counties in Virginia have Safety Towns, but most of them are gone now. The only ones I'm familiar with are...

- Chesterfield County: Complete with signage from VDOT, it's in bad shape. After it stopped being used as a Safety Town, it was used for Chesterfield County Police training exercises but is now permanently closed and used for overflow parking for some county facilities. There used to be working traffic signals present.

- City of Richmond/Henrico County: Part of the Azalea Mall property, closed when the mall was closed and demolished

- York County: Used to be outdoors, is now a seasonal thing that gets set up in a school gym. Serves the same purpose.

- City of Portsmouth: Probably the only Safety Town in Virginia that is still actively maintained.

The City of Virginia Beach has been working to build a "Safety City" to serve the same purpose. Well, actually, it hasn't, it won't build one. Instead, the Virginia Beach Fire Foundation has been trying to raise funds to build one instead, because Virginia Beach sucks at actual governance.

A few localities have also built what they call "traffic gardens", which are essentially miniature Safety Towns.

[formulanone]

Huntsville closed theirs around 2010, but I recall sending my kids to one as a field trip at some point.

Online shows there was a nice 2di Series B I-565 shield but I don't know if it survived (can't link it).

There was one near my middle school in another time and place in Florida but I don't know what happened to it.

Wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies had a say in their existence.

[hbelkins]

There used to be something similar at the Kentucky State Fair during my youth. It was, IIRC, a joint venture of the Kentucky State Police and the predecessor to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

[TheCatalyst31]

We had something like that in Evanston, Illinois when I was a small child, though I don't remember if I ever participated in it, or if I just remember it because they set up at the same school I went to for summer camp.

[I-57/Route 66 Fan]

We Have One In Bourbonnais, Illinois Dedicated To 2 Kids Who Were Murdered In Our Area

[kphoger]

We Have One In Bourbonnais, Illinois Dedicated To 2 Kids Who Were Murdered In Our Area

GSV here:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/izuMXhNpj6risKXF7

[freebrickproductions]

Huntsville closed theirs around 2010, but I recall sending my kids to one as a field trip at some point.

Online shows there was a nice 2di Series B I-565 shield but I don't know if it survived (can't link it).

This page on Huntsville Rewound has some pictures including close-ups of the signage and one of the signals in a cluster that was at the signalized intersection in it:
https://www.huntsvillerewound.com/HSVsafetycity.htm

I remember visiting it in elementary school as well, I do wish it was still there. I can't say for certain but I wouldn't be too surprised if the signals there were former Huntsville signals.

[Road Hog]

The city of Frisco, TX has a Safety Town at its fire station near Main and Preston Road.

[Revive 755]

I seem to recall seeing one in Cape Girardeau, MO somewhere east of US 61.

[kphoger]

The city of Frisco, TX has a Safety Town at its fire station near Main and Preston Road.

GSV here:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/VMjNyihU5q6L8VFZ9