TRANSPORT
Streets
alive
Do you know your neighbours?
Are children in your road allowed
to knock on others’ doors to play?
PlayStreets is a local scheme
reflecting the growing popularity
around London of reclaiming
streets for community fun.
O
ur roads make up more
than half of the open
space in our towns
but they have almost
exclusively become the domain of cars,
for understandable reasons. But it does
not have to be that way all of the time.
PlayStreets is a resident-led scheme
backed by Ealing Council which aims
to draw people out from behind locked
doors and away from their TV screens, so
they can share the common space in front
of their homes with their neighbours.
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet
member for transport and environment,
said: “The borough currently has three
active PlayStreets and another three
have applied as word has spread. A
PlayStreet is a stewarded road closure for
two or three hours each month to let you
capture some of the excitement of street
parties on a regular basis, and build a
sense of community. It lets neighbours
have a cup of tea and a chat, and allows
children to run, scooter and play safely
together, and with freedom.”
All of the existing PlayStreets run
between 3-5pm, except in the winter
when they switch to the earlier time
of 1-3pm.
Councillor Mahfouz said: “The council
is accepting applications to set up more
PlayStreets in the spring. It can take a
couple of months to organise, so it is
best to start thinking about it now.”
Applications for PlayStreets
are free to make and there will
be no fee for closing roads if
a scheme is approved.
WANT TO BRING YOUR
STREET ALIVE?
If you want to set up a
PlayStreet in your road,
there are four easy steps
to follow:
28
around ealing
Winter 2014/15