How important is the street you live on for kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No sidewalks was a deal-breaker for us. We go to the park a lot, but we use the sidewalks to get there.

+1. I live in NW DC. That said, you make do. I thought I would die if we didn't have a basketball court in back, but hey, our garage is in the alley and it doesn't work. At the end of the day, the kids don't care. My kids do play in the alley though.

[Anonymous]

I live in NW DC and have a driveway but no sidewalks. When we lived in Palisades we were on a cut through street unfortunately where the cars would speed through, but we also had a driveway. Palisades is not urban. What about the alleys? The neighbours hung in the alley a lot but you had to still be careful of car speeds/visability.

I value a flat street over a hilly street, sidewalks or no, and would prefer a culdesac or one way street as well.

Either way, not a deal breaker in this area, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For us very important-especially as the kids get older. My children spend 75% of their free time in our court. In addition to riding their bikes, they use their scooters, roller blades, and hot wheels motorized jeep.

I think it is great to take your kids to the part, but good luck when they are 9 getting buy in on that. When they are in elementary school they really like to just play outside with their friends.

9 year olds in our neighborhood walk over to the park themselves--a few blocks away...full-size basketball courts, tennis---with lights that is great during daylight savings time. They also do play basketball in driveways and in the backyards of the kids that do have a bit of a yard. Also- after school travel sports really start taking up a lot of free time beginning at this age.

[Anonymous]

A narrow street can sometimes be safer for bikers and pedestrians. The narrowness can discourage cut-through traffic and slow what traffic comes through. Best to observe the street at different times (esp. morning and evening rush hours) and not just during quiet Sunday afternoons when most open houses are scheduled.

[Anonymous]

I think if there are no sidewalks, I would only consider cul-de-sac to be safe enough arrangement for kids to ride bikes outside, otherwise, if you have a large driveway or a garage space it can be used for some outdoor games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if there are no sidewalks, I would only consider cul-de-sac to be safe enough arrangement for kids to ride bikes outside, otherwise, if you have a large driveway or a garage space it can be used for some outdoor games.

Sidewalks also have to be wide enough and usable. Some neighborhoods have extremely narrow sidewalks, plus they are often in bad condition. I would personally not choose to ride a bike on some narrow city sidewalks full of broken bricks with tree roots popping out. Hard enough to push a stroller through this, LOL. If you must share sidewalks with pedestrians, also it may not be allowed to ride a bike on a sidewalk.

[Anonymous]

I've lived on a street where kids couldn't play on it (too busy) and now on a quiet street where all the kids in the neighborhood are out riding bikes and playing basketball in the street, running from yard to yard. It makes a world of different to us. Yes, there are parks to go to, but if you just want to toss your kids outside for an hour while you make dinner and keep an eye on them, that is so great to be able to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lived on a street where kids couldn't play on it (too busy) and now on a quiet street where all the kids in the neighborhood are out riding bikes and playing basketball in the street, running from yard to yard. It makes a world of different to us. Yes, there are parks to go to, but if you just want to toss your kids outside for an hour while you make dinner and keep an eye on them, that is so great to be able to do.

Sounds really nice, does your street have sidewalks or is it a cul-de-sac (or both)? I am looking for a similar arrangement, but I am sure this also has to do with the sense of community, not just what your street looks like. Where is this area, if not a secret, that you feel safe leaving your kids outside just looking at them out of your window.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No sidewalks was a deal-breaker for us. We go to the park a lot, but we use the sidewalks to get there.

+1. I live in NW DC. That said, you make do. I thought I would die if we didn't have a basketball court in back, but hey, our garage is in the alley and it doesn't work. At the end of the day, the kids don't care. My kids do play in the alley though.

Same here. We have a deadend alley out back. They ride bikes, scooters, play street hockey and basketball out there. Better than a big yard!

[Anonymous]

The street you live on is very important. I wouldn't buy the house you're describing. That is the type of neighborhood we used to live in -- a house on a short street without sidewalks off of a busy road. We moved to a more kid friendly neighborhood -- sidewalks, kids in the cul-de-sacs, not near a busy road, etc. and our kids are much happier. But moving was a big pain! So be careful where you buy. The neighborhood is more important then the house when you have kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived on a street where kids couldn't play on it (too busy) and now on a quiet street where all the kids in the neighborhood are out riding bikes and playing basketball in the street, running from yard to yard. It makes a world of different to us. Yes, there are parks to go to, but if you just want to toss your kids outside for an hour while you make dinner and keep an eye on them, that is so great to be able to do.

Sounds really nice, does your street have sidewalks or is it a cul-de-sac (or both)? I am looking for a similar arrangement, but I am sure this also has to do with the sense of community, not just what your street looks like. Where is this area, if not a secret, that you feel safe leaving your kids outside just looking at them out of your window.

PP here -- Silver Spring, close to downtown. Neighborhood has a mixture of sidewalks and no sidewalks. Our street is not a cul-de-sac, but it's also not a cut-through to other streets and that helps.

[Anonymous]

I would have chosen another street in terms of kids, in retrospect, but you do the best you can at the time.