Kids playing in the street

[farscapesg1]

OK, I have to get this off my chest. There is a family about 5 houses down my street that lets their kids do everything in the street (playing catch, skateboarding, drawing with chalk, etc.) while they are hanging out in the house.

This morning, while driving back to my house, I was just about to their house when some kid comes flying (yes, FLYING) out from behind their big dually pickup truck and I had to slam on my brakes (while doing the speed limit of 30). Apparently, they kids had set up their skateboard ramp on the other side of the pickup, and they were ramping out into the middle of the street!!!

Why do people think that just because you live in a neighborhood, you can let your kids do whatever they want. We have kids that insist on riding their bikes in the middle of the street without any sense of responsibility of moving over to the side to let the cars by. We have kids who play catch in the middle of the street, when every house has a 1/3rd of an acre of land that the house is on (plenty of room to play catch in the front or back yard).

 

[Red Dawn]

You never played Stickball in the street when you were a kid?

 

[loup garou]

Do you live in the suburbs? If so, suck it up, slow down, and deal with it. Kids play in the streets and have forever...it's part of suburban life.

 

[SilverThief]

Go on a chainsaw rampage down the middle of the street.
You wont have to worry about the kids anymore.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

This pisses me off as well. It's not just kids, everyone thinks the streets are for pedestrians and not for cars. It's not until someone is hit that people realize how dangerous it is.
We have sidewalks throughout our neighborhood, there's no reason to be walking, riding a bike or running in the streets.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: CalvinHobbes
This pisses me off as well. It's not just kids, everyone thinks the streets are for pedestrians and not for cars. It's not until someone is hit that people realize how dangerous it is.
We have sidewalks throughout our neighborhood, there's no reason to be walking, riding a bike or running in the streets.

ugh...another dumbass.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: CalvinHobbes
This pisses me off as well. It's not just kids, everyone thinks the streets are for pedestrians and not for cars. It's not until someone is hit that people realize how dangerous it is.
We have sidewalks throughout our neighborhood, there's no reason to be walking, riding a bike or running in the streets.

Except for the fact that it's illegal in many cases.

 

[j00fek]

everyone plays in the streets when theere a kid.....

 

[bennylong]

How the world has changed. I played on the street as a kid. Football, baseball, tag, and this was on the busy street of San Francisco. Now kids play PS2 indoor instead of having the thrill of dodging cars and being yelled at or running like crazy when you break a window! Man, there's no bigger thrill than breaking someone's window and making a mad dash and reconnning!

 

[farscapesg1]

No, I never played stickball in the street. We also didn't play tag/baseball/etc. in the street either.

I grew up in the country and had plenty of area to run around on our creek, in the pastures, etc. We rode our bikes in the road, but were taught to pull over, stop, and let the cars pass by.

I had friends that lived in town also though, and again we didn't go playing in the street. Of course, this was in a small country town with a population of about 300. We would walk downtown to the local diner or over to the only convience store in town, but again we didn't go playing in the streets (and the speed limit was only 15-20 throughout the town except on the main road which was 35 and was about 3 miles from one end of the town to the other).

If we wanted to go play catch, we either did it in the yards, or we went to the local park. Hmm, imagine that! The kids in our subdivision could actually use the park that we pay yearly dues to upkeep!!!! Oh, wait, they would rather play in the street and then their stupid parents complain that people drive too fast in the neighborhood. Maybe when one fo the kids gets ran over they will think twice about letting their offspring run around the streets.

I'm sorry, there no one is going to change my mind. If there is a perfectly good park area 1 block down the road, then there is no reason to play catch in the street. If your kids are going to be ramping out into the street, take the time to move your vehicle out of the driveway so that people driving from both directions can see the kids.

I don't want to see anyone get hurt, but the least people can do is take the time to make sure their kids are safe. I think kids need to get out and play instead of sitting in front of the TV or video games, but parents need to take an active interest in what their children are doing and make sure things are safe.

The streets are find for bike riding (if the parents have taught the children proper bike safety like hand signals, pulling over to let cars pass, making sure that the kid is old enough to ride the bike by himself/herself, etc.). I'm not joking, but I have seen kids riding their bikes around the neighborhood without any adult supervision when they still have training wheels on!!!!

Other reasonable uses for the street; rollerblading, skateboarding, etc. In otherwords, anything that has wheels and needs hard pavement. With a park nearby it can be used for football, catch, tag, etc.

 

[Cattlegod]

call the cops and have them talk to the parents.

 

[Leros]

In neighborhood streets, I usually drive 20mph (in a 30mph zone) just in case there are kids around.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: CalvinHobbes
This pisses me off as well. It's not just kids, everyone thinks the streets are for pedestrians and not for cars. It's not until someone is hit that people realize how dangerous it is.
We have sidewalks throughout our neighborhood, there's no reason to be walking, riding a bike or running in the streets.

ugh...another dumbass.

Give it a rest. There's a difference properly riding a bike down a street, and riding a bike down a street like a crazy person with little regard of safety.

Thankfully the neighbors with the dumb kids have moved out of our neighborhood. Most people here have stories of kids who are just playing around and accidentaly end up in the street in front of you. My neighborhood had kids who would *purposefully* run out in front of cars and force you to slam on your brakes, coming to a stop within a foot or two of them. They would be playing in the street, spread out to the side when a car comes near as to let them pass, then throw their arms in the air, twirl around and scream as they jumped out in front of the cars.

 

[notfred]

Welcome to life. It's thier neighborhood, too. Slow down and let the kids have some fun. We played basketball, 2-hand touch, rode bikes, etc in the street all the time.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: farscapesg1
OK, I have to get this off my chest. There is a family about 5 houses down my street that lets their kids do everything in the street (playing catch, skateboarding, drawing with chalk, etc.) while they are hanging out in the house.

This morning, while driving back to my house, I was just about to their house when some kid comes flying (yes, FLYING) out from behind their big dually pickup truck and I had to slam on my brakes (while doing the speed limit of 30). Apparently, they kids had set up their skateboard ramp on the other side of the pickup, and they were ramping out into the middle of the street!!!

Why do people think that just because you live in a neighborhood, you can let your kids do whatever they want. We have kids that insist on riding their bikes in the middle of the street without any sense of responsibility of moving over to the side to let the cars by. We have kids who play catch in the middle of the street, when every house has a 1/3rd of an acre of land that the house is on (plenty of room to play catch in the front or back yard).

Wow, that didn't help your argument much.

"plenty of room" to play catch in the front or back yard.

Plenty of room if you are 4 years old.

 

[moshquerade]

it's all fun and games until someone becomes road pizza.

 

[Pikachu]

Originally posted by: loup garou
Do you live in the suburbs? If so, suck it up, slow down, and deal with it. Kids play in the streets and have forever...it's part of suburban life.

We don't park in the street or play in the streets in the suburbs here. That BS is for urban dwellers.

 

[DAGTA]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
it's all fun and games until someone becomes road pizza.

mmmm pizza.

I had pizza for lunch!

 

[farscapesg1]

Originally posted by: loup garou
Do you live in the suburbs? If so, suck it up, slow down, and deal with it. Kids play in the streets and have forever...it's part of suburban life.

"Do you live in the ghetto? If so, suck it up. Drugs and gang violence is a part of ghetto life."

Doesn't sound right does it? Just because something goes on in an environment doesn't mean that it is right and should be tolerated.

 

[bigfil]

i live in a neighborhood where there are lots of kids playing in the street
i too basically have to suck it up and drive slow
it sucks but hey thats life deal with it

 

[Powermoloch]

pay attention !!!

 

[farscapesg1]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: farscapesg1
OK, I have to get this off my chest. There is a family about 5 houses down my street that lets their kids do everything in the street (playing catch, skateboarding, drawing with chalk, etc.) while they are hanging out in the house.

This morning, while driving back to my house, I was just about to their house when some kid comes flying (yes, FLYING) out from behind their big dually pickup truck and I had to slam on my brakes (while doing the speed limit of 30). Apparently, they kids had set up their skateboard ramp on the other side of the pickup, and they were ramping out into the middle of the street!!!

Why do people think that just because you live in a neighborhood, you can let your kids do whatever they want. We have kids that insist on riding their bikes in the middle of the street without any sense of responsibility of moving over to the side to let the cars by. We have kids who play catch in the middle of the street, when every house has a 1/3rd of an acre of land that the house is on (plenty of room to play catch in the front or back yard).

Wow, that didn't help your argument much.

"plenty of room" to play catch in the front or back yard.

Plenty of room if you are 4 years old.

And what part of my later post did you not understand that there is a park for that sort of thing? Heck, if the kids can roam around the neighborhood unattended, then they can go to the park and play catch/football/etc. Our neighborhood is a whopping 5 blocks by 4 blocks out in the middle of the country. That means it is at most 3 blocks to the park from any house in the neighborhood.

 

[danzigrules]

Originally posted by: farscapesg1

Originally posted by: loup garou
Do you live in the suburbs? If so, suck it up, slow down, and deal with it. Kids play in the streets and have forever...it's part of suburban life.

"Do you live in the ghetto? If so, suck it up. Drugs and gang violence is a part of ghetto life."

Doesn't sound right does it? Just because something goes on in an environment doesn't mean that it is right and should be tolerated.

:thumbsup:

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: farscapesg1
I grew up in the country

Well, there's your problem, Cletus. Y'all best be gittin' up back thar to them ol' country roads with yer shawtgun an' bird dog, less them city youngun's done rub off summa thur charm on yuh!

- M4H

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: farscapesg1
I grew up in the country

Well, there's your problem, Cletus. Y'all best be gittin' up back thar to them ol' country roads with yer shawtgun an' bird dog, less them city youngun's done rub off summa thur charm on yuh!

- M4H

where else are most of these kids going to play