GOAL 3: SAFE PARKS

Park safety is a product of good planning, design, day-to-day use, and management.

Natural Surveillance. Parks should have good sight lines, and “eyes on the park” from adjacent streets, homes and businesses. Good lighting is important too.

Defensible Space. Entrances should be clearand so should edges where access is not permitted.

Park Features. Park features should be in demand, attracting people to use the park, which brings us to...

Day-to-Day Use. People using parks is the best guarantee for safe parks. If there are reasons for people to be there, people will be safe. This might mean park programming: movies in the park, recreation classes, food festivals...

Park maintenance, security patrols and security cameras all help complete the safety picture.

Policies

3A. Design for Safety

Safety will be built into the design of new parks and as existing parks are rehabilitated. Safe parks can be achieved by creating natural surveillance and ensuring defensible space. This means maintaining good sight lines from public streets and buildings and throughout parks and creating clear entrances and clear boundaries. Parks will also be designed to reduce hazards from vehicles by establishing safe crosswalks and safe bike access, placing active use and play areas away from busy streets, and using planting and fencing as a buffer.

The principles and practices of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) will be considered in the design and maintenance of future parks and new amenities.

3B. Park Activation

People using parks is the greatest guarantee for safety. Parks that are equitable, inclusive, attractive, comfortable, and interesting, with recreation features people want to use will be safe parks. More directly, the Department will activate parks by providing recreational and community programming.

3C. Lighting for Safety

The City will assess lighting quality throughout the park system with a focus on providing high-quality lighting along paths and eliminating areas where glare or excessive darkness create safety concerns.

All new parks will have a main walkway or circulation path that is lighted.

3D. Security Cameras

The City will study the efficacy and sustainability of placing security cameras in or adjacent to parks, and continue to implement the Park Camera Program.

3E. Park Restroom Safety

The City will ensure that park restrooms have regular maintenance and should be self-locking whenever possible to reduce unauthorized use after hours.

3F. Park Monitoring

The Parks and Recreation Department and its public safety partners will work together to ensure that all Tracy residents feel welcome in parks and that safety concerns are addressed effectively.