Traffic Garden Designs Newsletter No. 1

Welcome back!

We’re excited to relaunch with renewed momentum, a new business, new website, and this refreshed newsletter. Our new name is Traffic Garden Designs by Finn Quinn, the home for high-quality traffic garden drawing sets and installation support. The emphasis is on delivery: a clearer process, refined designs, and practical guidance that helps communities move from idea to durable installation more easily and reliably.

Our mission hasn’t changed, we’re still creating spaces where kids learn to navigate the built environment safely and confidently while having fun. What has changed is how we deliver the work.

Over the past eight years, traffic gardens have grown from a little-known concept into a rapidly expanding movement. Through dozens of installations in communities of all types, we’ve learned that projects need to be simpler and faster, with the ability to estimate costs much earlier in the planning process, and installations designed to be as durable as possible. To better meet that need, we’ve organized our work into two complementary platforms:

• Traffic Garden Designs: the layout and installation–focused business; and

• Discover Traffic Gardens (now at TrafficGardensInfo.com): an open information hub for examples, history, research, and inspiration.

Together, these two platforms are designed to reach more communities, support longer-lasting projects, and help more children build independent skills and confidence. I’ve also put my name more directly on the work, reflecting both my personal commitment to this field and the experience behind every design.

The growth we’re seeing is just the beginning. Across the U.S., underused asphalt is everywhere just waiting to be put back to work. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Now we’re making that transformation easier and faster. Check out our newly launched website today and feel free to drop me a line!

Traffic Garden Field Guide:

This month: Why Unused or Abandoned Courts Are Hidden Gems

One of the most common questions is where to locate a traffic garden. While many sites can work, we have seen how unused tennis, basketball, netball and futsal courts are often the easiest option as these spaces consistently check the key boxes:

• Right size: Courts naturally fit the scale needed to create a small bikable network of streets.

• Existing pavement: The flat surface is already in place, with base and grading complete, eliminating the need for major site work.

• Great locations: Commonly found in schools and parks, in visible and accessible locations, often near existing amenities.

• Underused assets: As populations shift, older courts are left behind. In one project, our client estimated that in the community of 500 residents, they had just a single tennis player.

• Perfect for color: Asphalt sealers create a fresh canvas for vibrant surface-applied markings, completely transforming the space.

• A Simple Opportunity: Instead of sitting unused, an old court can quickly become a place where children ride and have fun. When next to a playground, it’s just perfect.

How a How New Business was Born from Huntington Park

The Huntington Park Bicycle Traffic Garden marked a turning point for us. What began as a typical abandoned basketball court conversion showed how well our detailed drawings pair with quality materials and professional installation. Early on, I thought this work was about kids and biking, but it became clear it is just as much about surface-applied products and how they are installed.

The Huntington project built on a years-long conversation with Tom Decker, the franchise owner of SealMaster DelMarVa. Recognizing its potential, Tom championed the traffic garden concept within SealMaster. It led to a new approach: high-quality, off-the-shelf plan sets paired with SealMaster products to deliver faster, more durable installations.

It feels like a full-circle moment. Just 60 miles from Mansfield, where safety town began in 1937, these ideas are now regaining traction 99 years later. With so much underused asphalt across the country, Traffic Garden Designs and SealMaster offer an efficient and durable way to bring it back to life. Through the contractor network and 140 franchise locations, we can scale this work, combining their surface expertise with our deep commitment to help kids build biking independence while having fun.

“I was involved with the installation of the first ever traffic garden in Huntington Park Columbia, Maryland. This project was done by a contractor that had never done a traffic garden before. They were able to do the project in five days because the drawings that were created by Fionnuala Quinn were so detailed. It was easy for this contractor that typically does tennis courts and pickleball courts to complete this project in five days.”

Tom Decker, President, SealMaster Delmarva

We were featured in the January issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine!