8 | Play for Wales | Winter 2021
Opening streets for play,
health and wellbeing There was a time when it was accepted that children, once they were old enough and confident enough to negotiate the outside world independently or with friends and siblings, played outside and ranged within their neighbourhood freely.
For most children, there has been a decrease over the past thirty years in children’s access to the streets and outdoor areas near their homes. Children’s mobility is restricted by traffic and fear, which leads them to spend more time indoors or at organised activities. Parents tell us that they are fearful of the combination of more vehicles on the roads and the speed of traffic which means that they stop their children playing out. The lack of opportunity to play out and range has an impact on children’s health and wellbeing – both mentally and physically – and their resourcefulness and resilience. The adoption of a 20mph speed limit in all residential and built-up areas might have the most wide-reaching and positive effect, as recommended by Royal
College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Wales. The Welsh Government’s plans to reduce the national default speed limit in Wales from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads is welcome. But this change is widely an environmental one. It will slow traffic down, so reducing the risk of serious injury and improving the quality of air that children are exposed to. But, in addition to environmental improvements, there is a need to address the attitudinal issues which have led to children’s ability to access play in their own neighbourhoods diminishing over time. Some areas have addressed this by reclaiming streets for play through resident-led play street projects where streets are closed off for short times to allow children to play.
