Carterton Lions president Paul Reid with club member and project lead Pascoe Reynolds, right. PHOTO/KAREN COLTMAN

KAREN COLTMAN

karen.coltman@age.co.nz

To help children learn the road rules, a set of mini traffic lights are going up in Carrington Park as part of the junior road safety course now under construction.

By autumn, toddlers and children will scooter around an asphalt track that was dug out at the end of January around the large oak trees at the south end of the park.

The track would include stop signs, mini traffic lights, give-way signs, and a roundabout.

It would have a bus stop, concrete seats, and a bike repair shed in a centre island.

The club has fundraised for the track after gaining the green light from Carterton councillors last March. Carterton Lions Club estimated the construction to cost about $140,000.

It was using $35,000 it raised from its food van at Daffodil Day and helping the council with organising the event.

Club president Paul Reid said members were passionate that children should learn road rules early.

The club decided on the project as part of its celebrations of 50 years of the branch.

“All club members agreed it was a great idea to fundraise for the junior road safety park that club member Pascoe Reynolds proposed,” Reid said.

“We are putting in the only traffic lights in Carterton and are coming in well under the price of the other parks around the area such as Napier, Gisborne and Palmerston North,” he said.

Silverwood Architects developed the track design and project lead Pascoe Reynolds fed back on it and showed it to his young children who gave him their ideas.

All three primary schools near the park were keen on it.

“Carterton School has a bike skills course and South End School has the pump track so this one will be a link in the middle,” Reynolds said.

“The schools are excited about it.”

The club has funding from the Lions, Lloyd Morgan Charitable Trust and Lotto Pub charities, among others.

All donations would be acknowledged on an honour board at the track, as they are for donations to the Charles Rooking Carter statue the Lions funded.

The park’s flying fox has been removed but will go back, in a slightly different place, when the project is complete.