EASTON — Building African American Minds has been awarded a $274,140 state grant to bring a traffic garden to Easton, which will teach kids bike and street safety skills.
The grant, awarded through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Greenspace Equity Program, will help build the BAAM Campus Annex Community Garden and Safety Town. The grant is one of 15 Greenspace Equity projects funded statewide this year and is subject to final approval by the Maryland Board of Public Works.
The project will add raised garden beds, pollinator gardens, benches, landscaping and outdoor educational space to BAAM’s campus. At its center will be a Safety Town, a to-scale, paved replica of neighborhood streets and intersections, complete with signage and crosswalks, where children can ride bikes and scooters and practice real traffic scenarios in a motor-vehicle-free environment.
This type of facility, sometimes called a traffic garden, has become an increasingly important tool nationally: the share of American children learning to bike has dropped by more than 50% over the past two decades, largely because fewer kids have safe streets to practice on. By giving children a hands-on, low-risk place to build these skills, a Safety Town is designed to reverse that trend locally.
Talbot Thrive is partnering with BAAM to design and build the Safety Town, which will be adjacent to Moton Park. The project is an extension of Talbot Thrive’s existing Rolling Rodeo program, which already teaches kids the rules of the road on temporary, scaled-down street courses set up at schools and community events across Talbot County.
This project gives that work a permanent home — advancing Talbot Thrive’s mission of promoting safe, healthy outdoor mobility through hands-on education and community partnership. Once complete, it will be the first permanent traffic garden on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, giving local children a dedicated space to build road and bike safety skills that stay with them for life.
“For years, our Rolling Rodeos have shown how much kids love learning to ride safely when it’s hands-on and fun. This takes that same idea and gives it a permanent home right here in Easton,” said Heather Grant, executive director of Talbot Thrive. “Partnering with BAAM to build the first of its kind on the Eastern Shore is exactly the kind of investment in our kids’ safety and independence that Talbot Thrive exists to support.”
“BAAM’s mission has always been about giving kids the tools and safe spaces they need to thrive, in the classroom and outside of it,” said Dina Daly, executive director of BAAM and a Talbot Thrive Board member. “This Safety Town extends that mission onto the street, teaching our kids to bike and walk safely for the rest of their lives. We’re grateful to the State of Maryland and proud to partner with Talbot Thrive to bring this resource to our community.”
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