Status: EXPLORING

Current Status: Exploring

Project Stage(s): Concept

Live Trial Location(s): Pending > Active > Removed 

(What are the Project Stages?)
(Why are trials removed?)

CHALLENGE:

How can we open up streets for children to more easily, and more safely, play on? 

PROPOSITION:

We'd like to explore the idea of Play Streets - streets which are opened up for children to play on, during certain periods. 

TRIAL DESCRIPTION:

The plan would be to change or introduce some traffic signage to prevent vehicles driving through that portion of street during particular periods during which it would effectively become a pedestrianised space. This would be on a temporary basis (eg for a year, with regular review dates built in), and only during certain times (for example, every Sunday 12-3pm, or every weekend Friday 9pm to Sunday 9pm).

This legal signage would then be backed up with a physical obstruction(s) to provide a belt-and-braces solution. What this physical obstruction(s) would be, how many of them would be required, and who would put them in place, will be determined during the trial.  

The best approach to managing residents' cars will need to be worked out at the time, but if any residents need to park on an adjoining street during that period, we can easily resolve that - eg by issuing them with free visitor parking permits, or by adding adjoining streets onto their residential parking permit disc.

We would trial it on a temporary basis (eg for a year, with regular review dates built in) and (as a concept stage trial) it would be fully reversed back to the current scenario following the trial period.

(At a later stage, we may be able to trial some lockable play boxes on the street - eg as below from Copenhagen's 'Potato Rows' - but again, that can be explored at a much later stage.) 

For the intitial trial(s), we'll be looking for a (portion of) street with as many of the following characteristics as possible. However, every single registration of interest will be useful in terms of helping us gauge interest in the idea, and also whether there are particular areas of the city that are especially interested. 

• Proximity to the relevant DCC staff.
• It could be an entire street, or part of a street - we may need to decide this when we see your suggestions. 
• A mixture of own-door houses and shared-door apartments/multi-let units.
• Is a straight section of street (eg not a bending street) as we'd like people to be able to immediately see what's happening from the entrance to the street.
• Is a manageable size (say 5-50 homes).
• A short section of street might be useful to begin with. 
• There are children living on the street, ideally with a bit of a mix of ages.
• There are children living on the nearby streets, ideally with a bit of a mix of ages.
• There should be several interested neighbours/parents who'd like to take part. 
• There's no loading bay or disabled parking spaces on the relevant portion of street. 
• The portion of street would be suitable to close to motorised traffic every weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday evening. 
• There are parallel routes around the particular portion of roadway, if needs be. (Eg for a local trying to get home.)
• People currently park cars within the portion of street (we'd like to learn about how to best handle that aspect).
• The street isn't an 'arterial road' (eg it's not the main road to the airport or whatever!)
• Well-lit with some street lighting
• It could link with an existing play space (for example it might adjoin a small playground, or a laneway, where kids currently play - and offer an extension to that space), but this isn't at all necessary.

TAKING PART:

If you'd like to suggest a particular street for a play street trial, please add your details below.

Create your own user feedback survey

OUTCOMES:

[Trial not yet complete.]

DECISION:

[Trial not yet complete.]

NEXT STEPS:

[Trial not yet complete.]

RELATED PROJECTS:

• Open Streets
• Parklets

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Get involved in the conversation below.