There is no designated parking for the Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt Playground, leaving families to cross a busy Springdale Road if they want to access the park.

AUSTIN, Texas — Caroline Chen took her kids to the playground at Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt Playground in East Austin for a play date Saturday afternoon. 

“It was really fun,” Chen said. “It’s an apparently a new structure and, yeah, lots of different options for climbing and running around.”

Chen said she was invited by Jordan Smith, along with other parents, for a day of fun. 

“This park over here is incredible,” Smith said. “All the amenities that they have here are super fun for kids. We have mostly 8 year olds out here today.”

Getting to the park, however, has been its own obstacle. 

“We drove about 20 minutes to come check it out for the first time,” Chen said. 

“Originally, I thought there was going to be some parking behind here, but there was not,” Smith said. 

With no designated parking, Chen, Smith and other parents visiting the playground have had to park in a neighborhood along Springdale Road. Currently, a crosswalk and signage is all visitors have to get across the busy roadway to the park.

Vehicles are usually seen driving by at speeds that some might feel to be too fast. The speed limit on Springdale Road is currently 35 mph. 

“But it seems like people are probably going a little bit faster than that,” Smith said. 

“Definitely not as safe as I would like,” Chen said. “Definitely want to keep a close eye on the kiddos crossing this big street here.”

The park is in council member Natasha Harper-Madison’s district. 

“We’re hearing some concerns about our real accessible parking, and that’s something that we’re working … our transportation department is working on, and just recognizing what it is that we need in terms of resources to make it a reality in addition to what we’ve already put forward,” Harper-Madison (District 1) said. 

Austin Transportation and Public Works sent this statement to KVUE regarding the parking situation at the park: 

“We are aware of community concerns about crossing Springdale near the Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt and have taken steps to improve safety at the existing pedestrian refuge island. A work order is in place to adjust pavement markings and reconfigure the lanes to introduce horizontal deflection. This design change is intended to improve driver yielding compliance and reduce vehicle speeds, which enhances pedestrian safety.

The current island was installed in line with the two-way left-turn lane, which historically provides lower yielding rates. The planned modifications will create better conditions for pedestrians crossing in two stages. If yielding continues to be an issue after these changes, we will evaluate the location for additional enhancements, such as installing a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB), through our pedestrian crossing program.

We are also collecting speed data before and after the changes to measure the effectiveness of these improvements and inform future designs.”

“I will say, as a parent, it does hit different, you know,” Harper-Madison said. 

Families love the playground, but say getting there will continue to require some careful attention.Â