Play Streets in Subarban Neighborhoods

Joseph A. Hart, P.E., Lawrence J. Corcoran, P.E., William C. Fox, P.E.

Douglas County is experiencing neighborhood design and social trends that include popularity of street sports, increased parental concerns for child safety, and suburban development with over 1,150 cul-de-sac streets. Residents on one cul-de-sac requested a Play Street designation so their children could legally play in the street. Prior to the request, the Sheriff had made over 60 visits responding to illegal street play, with a number of citations issued.

The allowance for local authorities to designate a Play Street is provided in Colorado Revised Statute 42-4-109(9) which states that: No person shall use the highways for traveling on skis, sleds, skates… toy vehicle, or similar device to go upon any roadway except while crossing a highway in a crosswalk... This subsection (9) does not apply to any public way which is set aside by proper authority as a play street and which is adequately roped off or otherwise marked for such purpose.

A variety of Play Street laws and ordinances were found through research. Examples were only found in dense urban locations. No applicable examples were found in suburban locations.

Douglas County worked with the Colorado/Wyoming Section of ITE to create a Play Street Technical and Legislative sub-committee to consider Play Street issues and develop uniform traffic control applications. The committee included the following representatives:

Jennifer Jepsen-Cook (Arapahoe County DSIM)
Bob Manwaring, Edward Stafford (City of Arvada)
Dick Havercamp (City of Aurora)
Dave Menter (Town of Castle Rock)
John LaSala (City and County of Denver)
Joe Hart (David Evans and Associates, Inc.)
Kelly Dunnaway (Douglas County Deputy County Attorney)
Larry Corcoran, Cindy Colip, Chris Martin (Douglas County Public Works)
Brock McCoy (Douglas County Sheriff)
Bill Fox (Fox Higgins Transportation Group)
Kevin French (Jefferson County)
Karl Buchholz (City of Lakewood)
Will Johnson (LSC, Inc.)

The initial recommendation of the committee was for removal of the Play Street allowance from the Statutes. Absent a political champion of that effort, the committee worked to develop a Play Street definition, uniform criteria for designating, delineating, and implementing Play Streets and additional considerations.

For purposes of these guidelines, a Play Street is defined as follows: A Play Street is a portion of a residential roadway, meeting specific physical criteria for such designation, and that is designated through consistent signing and pavement marking, where children may play in the roadway but yield right of way when motor vehicle traffic is present, and where motor vehicle operators should have a heightened level of awareness of and alertness for pedestrians in the roadway.

The Play Street guidelines and considerations were presented at the 2005 ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit Program in Las Vegas, Nevada. Questions and comments received following the presentation included the following:

Questions regarding the current status of the conflict on the street that prompted the study (the complaining neighbors have recently moved).

Questions if any further requests or actions have been undertaken by the County regarding Play Streets. (A total of three requests were received, including the one that resulted in the “alternative use” designation. The other two requests were not encouraged and the individuals were asked to resubmit the requests after the demonstration of the first alternative use street could be reviewed.)

Comments that there is no “safe speed” when pedestrians are in the road. (This way why the traffic volume threshold was set very low – requiring play streets only be set up at the end of cul-de-sacs or at the ‘top’ of a loop street.)

Comment that parked cars in the designated play area could increase safety concerns. (This is one of the considerations that was identified for further review with neighbors.)

Comment that building neighborhood parks might better resolve the issue. (Regardless of the proximity of park facilities, children play in the street due to convenience and because parents want them close to home.)

Question if there have been any efforts to educate the public about the negative impacts of establishing Play Streets. (Public meetings with the neighborhood originally requesting the Play Street designation were conducted to discuss the implications of the designation.)

While initiation of a Play Street program is not encouraged, the guidelines and considerations developed by the committee provide useful information if a jurisdiction is faced with this issue

A full version of the report, guidelines and implementation considerations can be Viewed Here

Last updated: May 25, 2005