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Children Playing in the Streets

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by REA3Fan, Apr 19, 2011.

  1. REA3Fan

    REA3Fan New Member

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    With the onset of Spring and warmer weather, there are more and more children playing in the streets in Broadlands. The posted speed limit throughout Broadlands is at least 25 mph. While drivers need to be extra vigilant to watch for little ones darting into the streets, parents really need to use this time to teach their children that streets (including cul-de-sacs) are for motor vehicles and should not be used as a playground. With all of the open areas that Broadlands offer and the paths throughout the neighborhood, there really is not a need to have children playing in the roadways.:nono: It is exceedingly frustrating to see parents sitting in driveways while their children are playing in the street. This is a recipe for tragedy that I pray we can all avoid-both by drivers being cautious and parents teaching childrent that the street is a dangerous place to play. While residents may know to slow down in certain areas, no one can be sure that visitors and delivery drivers will know where they need to slow below the speed limit. Lets make sure that no one loses a child and no driver has to live with that type of accident on their conscious for the rest of their lives.
     
  2. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    While I agree there are plenty of open areas, if I wish to let my kids ride their bikes in the street in front of my house while I sit in the driveway and watch them, I don't see an issue with this. My neighbors and I constantly watch for vehicles and as soon as we see one coming we yell for them to get on the sidewalk.
     
  3. RobVT3

    RobVT3 New Member

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    :rolleyes3:
     
  4. REA3Fan

    REA3Fan New Member

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    When do the kids learn the "rules of the road" if they are allowed to ride in the middle of the street. Bikes should be ridden on the sides of the street if at all. Once you are no longer there to tell them to move or are engaged in a conversation and don't yell in time, then what happens? There are a dozen threads on this forum about kids not following rules, yet we are allowing them to do just that in not having them follow the rules from when they are on tricycles. Maybe our mixed signals are the reasons that the "rules don't apply to me" mentality is so prevalent in the current younger generation.
     
  5. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    You comparing kids playing in the street with adult supervision close by to the other threads of "kids not following the rules" is absurd.
     
  6. REA3Fan

    REA3Fan New Member

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    It's also absurd to think it's okay for parents to be drinking beers and hanging out while their kids are half a block away in the middle of the street. Children not required to learn the rules from their parents are never going to follow other people's rules. Children watching their parents break the rules, will then break the rules, Drinking in public for example. And I'm sure when all these kids become teenagers drinking on the playground and tossing their bottles, the new set of parents can gripe and compain on these forums just like all the parents have been for the past 3 years. And the cycle continues. I simply thought it would be a good idea for people to teach their children not to actually play on roads where cars can legally be traveling at 25 mph. If you want to take that chance with your children, then that's your right.
     
  7. cobymom

    cobymom Sheila Ryan

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    Drinking a beer in your driveway isn't against the law; if they were in the street, owned by VDOT, that would be a problem. Those parents may have a lapse in judgment in your opinion, but they aren't breaking the law.
     
  8. twohokies

    twohokies New Member

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    Don't assume everyone in Broadlands has this experience. Unfortunately those of us in Southern Walk do not have this luxury of open space and pathways.......
     
  9. DENALI08

    DENALI08 Member

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    I personally believe that wherever there is the possiblity of children being present, people should be more cautious and should actually drive slower than 25mph. I do not have children, but have no problem with kids playing in the street, especially on a cul-de-sac. When I was younger, my parents always lived on a cul-de-sac so that my siblings and myself had a place to ride our bikes, scooters, powerwheels, etc. Broadlands is a family oriented community, if you do not want to have kids running the streets playing, then this is not the community for you!
     
  10. REA3Fan

    REA3Fan New Member

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    You must be in a separate section of Southern Walk because near our home there are both, open common areas and an abundance of paths. We also have sidewalks, driveways and yards upon which children could play.

    And as for legalities, while it's true that drinking on your property is fine (and with small children sometimes even required :) ) riding bikes in the middle of the road at any age is actually illegal in Virginia (Code of Virginia Sec. 46.2). Again, not looking to make this a legal debate, just hoping that the parents of small children would have them play somewhere other than in the street where we are driving our cars. If you don't have hope, what's left ;)
     
  11. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    I can see keeping the kids off of Claiborne, Crosson, etc. But c'mon.. if the kids want to get together and punch out a game of street hockey or powerslide the big wheels around I don't necessarily have an issue with that unless the neighbors do. Yes they should be supervised, they should be corrected if they don't get clear when a car approaches, and completely removed from the scene if they can't obide by that rule.


    I'm well aware of the multitudes of children living here and go on high alert whenever I enter a neighborhood, as is my responsibility as a driver. I'm very happy to find that everyone around us does as well.


    As a kid, we had acres and acres of area to freely roam around in - safe from cars (but had our own fun with snakes, ticks, ankle busting holes in the ground, river currents, etc). That's simply not the case anymore.


    Tooling around the circle on a bike is a simple pleasure for the kids...and I'm happy to slow down and wait for them to yield until I can safely get around. Seeing that reminds me of why we moved here to begin with...
     
  12. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    We learned this lesson in a heart stopping way over the weekend.

    I was out front pruning trees, while my hubby was instructing our 3 year old how to pick up the branches. My attention was solely focused on cutting down limbs and my hubby diverted his attention from our son for a few seconds.

    The next thing I knew I heard car(s) honking and saw my 3 year old sprinting toward the middle of Ridgeway with my hubby running frantically after him. The one driver coming down Ridgeway thankfully slowed down and started honking, but the other car (who turned onto ridgeway from claiborne) did not have a clear view. It was truly a heart stopping moment.

    Suffice to say, this was not the driver(s) fault, this was ours.

    My hubby heard an earful from me and the next time I am doing any yard work our son will be safely inside. So the lesson is no matter how much you think you are watching your kids, in a split second they could be running into oncoming traffic.
     
  13. Brassy

    Brassy Hiyah

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    I can see them playing much easier in the cul-de-sacs.
     
  14. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    I'll agree with that, our neighborhood is fairly isolated from thru-traffic so it is a bit different. I've seen traffic on ridgeway/stone hollow that would prevent me from considering this at all if we were located there. I do feel that the same level of respect is warranted, thru-street or not.
     
  15. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Totally agree with your assessment...

    Too often, folks up at the top of Ridgeway see no problem with going fast down the street....Im afraid that someone isn't going to have time to stop at that speed if a kid runs out into the street unintentionally after a ball or something like that. I wish there were some traffic calming measures on this street like on some other streets in some neighborhoods outside of Broadlands...
     
  16. jerseyhokie

    jerseyhokie Member

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    With all the health issues children have such as diabetes and obesity I can't believe people are complaining about children playing outside. There are the best memories of my childhood... playing football, soccer, anything in the street with the neighborhood kids. We live in an area full of families and children who should be playing outside!! Not all of us have the luxury of a yard either so the street is the only option if you want to be close to home. This is why we love Broadlands!
     
  17. REA3Fan

    REA3Fan New Member

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    I don't think anyone is complaining about kids playing outside - that's exactly what they should be doing rather than glued to a video game and/or tv. I guess my frustration and what started this particular thread is that while adults may be present, they are not necessarily supervising their very young children who are in the street, and by very young I am referring to 3-5 year olds. On my way down the street today, I saw the parent sitting in the normal spot in the drive on the phone, 2 young children in the street, as I crawled to an almost complete stop, the younger child ran from one side of the street to the other where his playmate/brother was - absolutely nothing from the parent. Then as I started to roll forward, he ran back across the street in front of me again. The parent - again crickets, but the phone call continued.

    There are several wonderful parents on this street and when they are in the cul-de-sac engaged with the kids, its a beautiful thing. Unfortunately on most days, the end of my long commute is not met by parents parenting, just young children in the street :( Hence, the frustration and fear that the next news crew talking about a child getting hit by a car will be in our side of Ashburn.
     
  18. jerseyhokie

    jerseyhokie Member

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    I totally agree with supervision, I am always the only parent out on my street watching my own child since he is 3.5. Bottom line is we have to be very careful since we now know these children are out there unsupervised.
     
  19. TKing217

    TKing217 New Member

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    I see kids daily running through the street unsupervised. I had an obnoxious little girl on a motorized scooter actually reach her leg out and attempt to kick my friend's car as we drove by her slowly. Yes, some days there are parents all over the street keeping an eye on them, which is completely fine with me. However, 50% of the time, the little kids take over the street, with no parents supervising. And the kids are rarely in a hurry to get out of the way of oncoming cars. When I was a kid, it was common knowledge to yell "car" and get out of the street as quickly as possible.

    On a side note, I had a little kid(no older than 3) follow me all the way to my front door(private driveway too btw). Granted it was cute, there was not a single parent around to notice the little guy following a stranger all the way up to his door step. That's troublesome to me.

    Cars need to not speed, parents need to be vigilant, and teach their kids that they do not own the road and it is not a playground. And stop yelling at people to slow down when they are going 10-15 mph.(well below the posted speed limit.) Those signs are there for a reason.
     

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