A Play Street is a temporary closure of a neighbourhood road by residents.  It allows the kids to play on the road safety for few hours.

There are different from closures of the road for Street Parties.

The residents are allowed to move their cars in and out of the street at walking speed.

Stewards are observing during the closure.

The closure takes only a few hours once a week.

Children playing is different from a family day out.  The children have the chance to play on their doorstep, without any planned activities.

Many families do not have gardens and easy access to any parks, so the kids are given the opportunity to develop friendships within the neighbourhood.

Kids also could make new friends especially if they do not attend local schools.

Parents could benefit too by meeting people who live on their road.

This scheme was first introduced in Salford in  1930s following the success of the Play Streets in the US.  They almost completely died out in 1980s.

There are plenty psychological benefits for kids, a summary is listed below:

Children's playstreet benefits
Credit: Barbara Langley

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