Cone City: Pedestrians, Cyclists and Traffic Officers

A neighborhood is built in the schoolyard with streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, a stop-sign intersection and a hand-operated traffic light. Students rotate through three roles, cyclist, pedestrian and traffic officer who directs traffic and logs violations, to see traffic from each point of view.

How to play

1. Groups set up the layout from a map: two crossing streets, sidewalks, two crosswalks, a stop sign and a hand-held traffic light made of red and green cards (5 min).
2. Explain the roles, each with its own pinnie color: cyclists on bikes or, if there are none, on foot holding a hoop as handlebars; pedestrians; and officers with a violation sheet (3 min).
3. Three 6-minute rounds rotating roles; officers run the light and log every violation and where it happened (18 min).
4. Review the sheets: most common violations, where they cluster and what change to the intersection design would prevent them (4 min).

Rules

• Cyclists wear helmets and ride at walking pace, never faster than a jog.
• Pedestrians cross only at crosswalks and on a green light.
• Officers direct traffic from the sidewalk and never step in front of a moving bike.
• After any collision or close call, the officer stops traffic by raising both hands.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair user: travels as a pedestrian or cyclist on the widest street, with curb cuts marked.
• Visual impairment: goes with a partner, and the group checks whether the intersection is accessible for them.
• Autism: starts as an officer, with a specific task and a fixed spot.

Learning goals

• Apply traffic rules as a pedestrian and as a cyclist.
• Analyze traffic from the viewpoint of different road users.
• Propose intersection design improvements based on data.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 50
• cardboard traffic signs: 10
• chalk: 4
• pinnies: 30
• bikes: 10
• helmets: 10
• hoops: 10
• worksheets: 10

Teacher tip

If there are not enough bikes, ask the local police or city hall (many run bike safety programs with loaner bikes) or a cycling club, or let students bring their own with parent permission; with 10 bikes, work in groups of three that rotate. Some cities lend portable signs and traffic lights from their traffic safety park.

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