The temporary traffic park near Traffic police station in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 19: The city police are observing traffic awareness week with much fanfare, but most of the residents feel the need for a permanent traffic park.

Although the police have set up a temporary traffic park at AG Square for the event, it is yet to come up with a permanent one that will help youngsters, especially children, to know road safety rules.

A traffic park, however, was set up near AG Square in 1984, but later became defunct.

A traffic park has several features including traffic signals, roads marked with zebra crossings, miniature bus stops and railway level-crossings to help children learn road discipline. Police said that a number of such traffic parks existed in various parts of the country, including New Delhi and Chandigarh.

The city police during the celebration of traffic awareness week in 2012 had set up a temporary traffic park for a month. Children were allowed to use bicycles for navigating the streets and operate according to traffic laws inside the park. The cops had also awarded the quick learners to motivate them.

“We have a number of big parks. The authorities could use one of those to set up a traffic park. With the city’s traffic increasing day by day, rules must be imbibed at a younger age,” said Piyush Ranjan Rout, urban management practitioner.

Police commissioner R.P. Sharma said that a traffic park was included in the action plan for modernisation.

“We will require land for setting up a traffic park. The matter would be taken up with higher officials,” said Sharma.

The city police have been organising a number of awareness drives in schools and colleges across the city.

However, there are many youngsters who continue to ride two-wheelers without wearing helmets.