Albuquerque has a street where cars are not allowed.
It is a traffic garden: a small-scale street network where kids learn to bike and practice real road skills.
It belongs to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and sits just off the Rail Trail, between Mountain Road and Bellamah Avenue.
A car-free place to learn the rules of the road
Parks and Recreation held a soft opening on Sept. 18.
In its post about the night, the department said the garden “gives kids a safe, car-free space to practice riding, learn the rules of the road and build confidence on their bikes.”
On real streets, the stakes are higher. In 2024, 29 children under 15 riding bikes were in traffic crashes in New Mexico.
Kidical Mass ABQ sponsored the opening with BikeABQ and the city’s Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center. The group called it the city’s first traffic garden.
What we could not find
The Ledger could not find the garden’s hours or what it cost to build, on the city’s website or in its posts.
The city’s bike centers are free, and they give away bikes
The city’s two Esperanza bike centers are free. People of any age can learn to fix a bike and ride more safely there.
From 2013 to late 2024, Esperanza gave away more than 5,000 refurbished bikes through its Earn-A-Bike program.
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