Kids in Prague

Traffic Rules Playground, Prague 6

Playgrounds on 20 July 2009 by Karen

image

Learning through play is fun! This is certainly the case when you take your kids to a Traffic Rules Playground or Dopravni Hriste, as they are called in Czech.

This is a special type of playground equipped with life-like roads, zebra-crossings, traffic lights and signs, all designed to help children become familiar with real-life traffic situations in a controlled environment. It is fully enclosed by a fence, so there is no risk of being run-over here.

image

Kids can come along with their bikes, scooters or even trikes and just ride around along with their peers, learning how to enter a round-about, when to stop and how to stick to the right side of the road. My boys love coming here. It’s all good fun and the kids still get a healthy respect for what it’s like to be in a traffic situation and that in order for people to ride without crashing into each other, there are certain rules which must be observed and obeyed.

image

Prague has a total of about 10 Traffic Rules Playgrounds. Some of them are only available for use by primary & kindergarten school students and have to be booked in advance. Many of them do open up for everyone and this usually occurs during the afternoon hours and on weekends. 

image

This particular Traffic Rules Payground in Prague 6, opens regularly to the general public and even doubles up as a playground with a large rope pyramid for climbing (with sand at the bottom so that it can also be used as a sand-pit). If the kids want to take a break from riding, they can test out the zip line or mini-climbing wall as well.

image  image

Traffic Rules Playgrounds, first started to appear in this country during the early 1980s and every year, as part of the curriculum, all Primary School children are required to spend several hours both riding and learning the theoretical aspects of traffic rules at their nearest Traffic Rules Playground.

image

OPEN: 1st April to 31st October. On Weekdays during the School Term: Open to Schools only from 0830 to 1600 and to the general public from 1600 to 1900. Saturdays & Sundays during the School Term: open 0900-1900pm. *From 1.7. to 31.08: Open to the general public everyday from 0900 to 2000.

PRICE: At time of writing, this Traffic Rules Playground was for free. The one in Prague 7 charges 10 CZK per child (for 3 hours) and an additional 20 CZK if you wish to hire a bike or scooter, Prosek in Prague 9 has similar fees. This TRP does not always have a person on hand to hire out bikes etc. so it’s better if you bring your own.

ADDRESS: Na Vypichu 1a, Prague 6 - Břevnov (Tel: +420 235 352 622).

DIRECTIONS: By Tram: Take No: 15, 22 or 25 to the final stop of Vypich. You will see a large green field in front of you. The TRP is to the right of the edge of this field on the side of the forest – about a 5 minute walk. By Bus: Take No: 22, 36, 108, 174, 180, or 191 to Vypich and walk for about 5 minutes to the playground. By Car: Limited free parking available at the side of the road running parallel to the playground.

FURTHER INFORMATION: http://www.ddmp6.cz/ (in Czech only)