Cities

“Don’t play in the street” is a message children across North America receive from the time they learn to walk. While the intention is understandable, the result is a general feeling that unless you’re sitting in a car, you don’t belong in the street. Germany, by contrast, includes “playing in the street” in its national highway code.

Although best known for its no-speed-limit Autobahn, Germany also has streets at the opposite end of the speed spectrum. Traffic-calmed areas, commonly called Spielstrassen (“play streets”) generally have no sidewalks but include extra bends and other devices to encourage slow speeds. The speed limit is walking speed.

Anne Arnold-Winkenbach lives in a play street with her husband and two sons, and her boys have been playing in the street ever since they were able to crawl. When they learned to walk, they would pack up their toys and pull them up and down the street in wagons or trade them with the other kids in the street in a game of “store.” They were just doing what all kids do – in a space shared with moving cars.

David and Jonathan Winkenbach are now 15 and 13. Their wagons and toys have been replaced by bikes, skateboards and a ramp for jumps and stunts, but they still spend a lot of time in the street.

Asked what he thinks about the street he grew up on, David, an outgoing and active teenager, first stated the obvious: “It’s quiet and safe.” But after a moment’s reflection, he added that it has probably also played a role in the way he’s grown up and developed.

Anne agreed, noting that the kids benefit from having a social space and community right outside their front door. The neighborhood children learned early to share, to settle disagreements, and to watch out for the younger children.

But like most mothers, Anne still worries about her children’s safety around cars, noting that drivers sometimes go too fast down the street. How fast? Ten (6.2 mph), 15 (9.3 mph), sometimes even 20 km/h (12.4 mph).

By comparison, recent initiatives in North America have tried to reduce speed limits on neighborhood streets from 40 (24.8 mph) or 50 km/h (31 mph) to 30 km/h (18.6 mph). While it’s certainly a nod to the safety of children, it’s still definitely not an invitation to play in the streets.