News about The Traffic Park

This article temporarily completes the relocation and redevelopment story of The Traffic Park. Looopings reported that Plopsaland Belgium had opened a traffic park again, now as Rijschool Suikerbuik near the Big & Betsy Hoeve. The new attraction sits on the former Amika pasture, next to Circus Bumba, and replaces the old driving course that disappeared from the Dorpsplein the previous summer. For visitors, the most visible change is that the classic small cars have been replaced by electric tractors. That makes the ride fit better with the farm setting and the Studio 100 series Big & Betsy. The course still focuses on practising traffic situations through play, with junctions, traffic lights, petrol pumps, charging points and a windmill as scenery. Historically, the article is important because it confirms that the attraction was not only dismantled, but genuinely returned with a new name, theme and visitor story.

With this article, the return of The Traffic Park gained a concrete shape. Plopsaland showed a design for the new version, which was no longer presented simply as a traffic park but as Rijschool Suikerbuik. The name refers to Agent Suikerbuik from Big & Betsy, embedding the attraction in a farm setting beside the Big & Betsy Hoeve. The vehicles also changed visibly: instead of classic little cars, children would drive tractors around the course. The route remained focused on traffic situations with junctions and lights, but its atmosphere became better aligned with the new surroundings. Looopings reported that work was already well underway and that opening was planned before the Easter holiday. For visitors, this was a practical update: the familiar children's activity would return, but with new styling, a new story and a different position in the park.

This article is a key part of the recent history of The Traffic Park. Shortly after the old version closed and the Dorpsplein was cleared, Looopings reported that Plopsaland Belgium wanted to bring the traffic park back in a new place. The planned location was between Circus Bumba and the Big & Betsy Hoeve, on a site previously known as a horse pasture. That made it clear that the attraction was not disappearing permanently, but would receive a second life in another part of the park. The article also notes that the ride had moved before: the 2007 version followed an older course that had to make way in 2006. According to the permit information, the new version would keep the core of the concept, including a roundabout and petrol station, while moving the course about 250 meters. For visitors, it offered reassurance that a familiar children's activity would return.

This follow-up article made the physical change around The Traffic Park very concrete. Earlier reports and the updated map had already shown that the Dorpsplein would change, but Looopings now described actual demolition work. Visitors saw fences, empty spaces and heavy machinery in an area that had recently still contained familiar park buildings. The Traffic Park was being dismantled as part of that process. For the attraction's history, this is important because it records the end of the old Dorpsplein version. The ride had been a recognizable children's driving course at Plopsaland for years, with various theme and sponsor layers, but it now gave way to a new phase in the resort's development. The article also adds visitor context: the work was visible from the fountain square and marked the start of a long redevelopment that would later make room for a new complex including a flying theater.

This article marks the moment when it became clear that the old location of the Traffic Park was part of a much larger transformation at Plopsaland Belgium. Looopings described how the updated park map had already removed much of the Dorpsplein and how, alongside food outlets, the Traffic Park, a toilet block and the Plopsa Express station had disappeared. For The Traffic Park, this matters because the ride was no longer just changing name or sponsor; it physically left its familiar area of the park. The reason was a planned new complex including a flying theater, through which Plopsaland wanted to renew the entrance area. For visitors, this meant a less recognizable Dorpsplein for a while and changes to walking routes and the park train. Historically, the article forms the transition between the old traffic park version and the later redevelopment on a new site.

In 2024 Plopsaland adjusted the identity of the Traffic Park once again. References to De Buurtpolitie disappeared and sponsor Van Mossel became more prominent after the Vereenooghe dealership had been absorbed into that group. Signs, flags and the nearby traffic classroom therefore received a different look, while the core of the attraction remained intact: children get into electric vehicles and learn traffic situations through play.

For guests, the change was mainly visual and thematic. It was not a new ride, but it showed that Plopsaland kept updating the attraction through brands, sponsors and recognisable layers of decoration. In a traffic park, that outer layer matters because the credibility of the educational play concept depends heavily on current signs, teaching material and surroundings. Historically, the article connects several phases: an earlier traffic attraction in another location, the 2007 version, the K3 and De Buurtpolitie periods and the later sponsor change. It shows how The Traffic Park kept the same principle while repeatedly receiving a new public face.

In 2021 Looopings reported that the Traffic Park at Plopsaland De Panne lost its K3 identity. The children's attraction, where young visitors practise traffic situations in small vehicles, was connected to the Flemish television series Echte Verhalen: De Buurtpolitie. The atmosphere shifted from a K3 association to a police theme, while the actual layout of the course remained the same. For the history of The Traffic Park, this is an important moment because the attraction changed identity more than once without immediately losing its core function. The article also places the update in the wider reopening of Plopsaland after a long coronavirus closure and notes that other attractions received thematic changes too. For visitors, the main effect was new decoration, new signage and a recognizable Studio 100 context around learning traffic rules.

This article covers an incident at the Traffic Park in Plopsaland De Panne, several years before the ride later changed theme and location. A young girl slipped near the attraction on a wet and slippery surface and suffered a head injury. The story reached the public through her father, so it is mainly a visitor experience that Looopings picked up as news. For the history of The Traffic Park, the article matters because it shows that the family ride appeared not only as a calm children's driving course, but also in coverage about safety and maintenance. No structural change to the attraction was announced as a direct consequence, yet the case is still useful context for visitors because it highlights the importance of the condition of the course and surrounding paving in rainy weather.