Featuring mini traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and even a roundabout, the mock roadway at the SA Police Road Safety Centre is the perfect place for kids to practice their riding skills while learning about road safety at the same time.
Review by Lisa Bachmayer
The centre was opened at West Beach in 2024 and replaces the previous Road Safety Centre at Thebarton Barracks, which has made way for the Women’s and Children’s Hospital development.
Replicating real-life road conditions with working traffic lights and crossing signals during open times, the mock roadway is fully fenced and the ideal place for caregivers to teach their children to be good cyclists and pedestrians in a safe environment.
Free and open to the public when not in use by SA Police for education sessions – just BYO bikes or scooters and helmets – the roadway is a safe space for kids to learn about road signs, traffic lights and crossings, pedestrian safety and road rules.
It’s also a lot of fun, as our group – which included an eight year old, two six year olds and a two year old – found out when visiting during the school holidays.
Throughfares and intersections cut across the smooth-surface loop track, which also features a roundabout, two traffic light crossings, a railway crossing, various pedestrian crossings and accurate road signs.
The older kids quickly took to the track on their bikes, zipping around and stopping at the working traffic lights, while the toddler – who is not yet comfortable on her balance bike or scooter – preferred to wander around trying out the pedestrian crossings with an adult.
Either side of and within the track are grassed areas, including two shade shelters – one with a picnic table and benches. It’s a great idea to pack snacks or lunch for the kids to enjoy as a break in between rides.
It’s important to note there are no public toilets, with the closest being about a five minute walk away at The Square on Hamra Avenue. If heading there to use the toilets, either before or after your visit to the roadway, we suggest allowing extra time to spend at the playground here; it’s also a great way to extend your outing and provide even more fun.
Parents with toddlers or young children will need to be wary of older, more confident children racing around on their bikes. Having said this, it’s a good chance for parents of older kids to use the roadway as a teaching opportunity by chatting to them about basic road safety and what all of the signs and crossings mean.
We saw a parent – whose kids had been excitedly riding through red lights with little people around – chatting with her children about the importance of paying attention to the signs and signals and stopping at intersections and then monitoring them at the crossings, which they used safely from then on. It was a great example the roadway serving its purpose; to teach children about road safety from a young age, while having fun.
SAPOL provide some useful information on their Road Safety Centre website, including handouts with pictures of signs, crossings and signals and what they mean. It’s a great idea to print these out and discuss them with your kids before or when you arrive.
One basic road rule – stay to the left – provided a bit tricky with a number of parents (including us) calling out to their kids about this. With many younger kids not quite knowing they’re left from their right yet, some arrows on the road or extra signs wouldn’t go astray, but it’s also a good chance to teach this too. The kids did pick it up in the end.
The mock roadway at the Road Safety Centre not only provides an opportunity to teach kids road safety and safe pedestrian practices, but it’s also a chance for them to practice their riding skills in a safe space, while having fun and burning off energy at the same time.
The centre is open to the public on weekends and limited hours on weekdays (between 8-10am and after 3pm), but we recommend calling ahead on 8207 6923 to ensure availability.
Things to Consider:
- Bring your children’s own bikes or scooters and helmets.
- There are two shade shelters for picnics and parents to watch from, but otherwise no shade, so bring hats and sunscreen.
- Bring snacks or lunch and water for riding breaks.
- There are NO PUBLIC TOILETS available on site. The nearest public toilets are 400m away at The Square on Hamra Avenue, about a five minute walk. We suggest incorporating a visit here for the playground to extend your outing.
- The mock roadway is open to the public on weekends and limited hours on weekdays (see above). We suggest calling ahead to ensure the roadway is not being used by SAPOL.
Our favourite nearby coffee spots/cafes:
Oceanique Kiosk is located at The Square playground on Hamra Avenue and is open Monday to Sunday, 7.30am until 3pm (weather dependant).
Location:
1 Military Road, West Beach (within the West Beach Parks Precinct)
For more information and all enquiries please visit the SAPOL website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go.
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