Quebec town’s bylaw requires kids to collect signatures to play in the street

“I find it a little bit exaggerated, but at the same time I understand the security concerns because there’s a recurring issue in Les Cèdres with people driving fast, not making their stops, though I’m not sure this will really help either,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

Picking up her daughter from the same school, Amélie Rhéaume said she doesn’t allow her kids to play on their street, one of the more bustling roads in town, because of the number of cars driving past. But other quieter streets, she said, are full of children who can play safely.

“It’s very sad for a little village like ours to need to have a bylaw like this,” she said, adding that in her opinion it is of little use and won’t be respected.

The Quebec Highway Safety Code prohibits obstructing traffic on a public road, but it leaves room for municipalities to pass bylaws that exempt children’s play from the ban.

As a school bus driver, Philippe Thinel always has to be vigilant about children in the roadway, but he says it should be common sense for drivers to slow down when they see children at play. Waiting for school to let out Wednesday, he described the bylaw as an “overdone” response to the “petty” provisions in the Highway Safety Code.

Chantal Tremblay, director of communications for Les Cèdres, said that so far the municipality has not established any free play zones. But she said children will still be able to play freely, and the bylaw simply allows for the creation of official free play zones with visible signage.

She said police have always tolerated children playing in the street without incident, but she acknowledged that police could get involved if they receive complaints.

Tempers flared and tears were shed at a council meeting on Tuesday night as Mayor Bernard Daoust said the purpose of the bylaw is to increase safety.

Provincial police officer Stéphane Quintal told the meeting that police will focus on preventing people from obstructing traffic, not from playing.

“We won’t give tickets to kids playing hockey in the street … at worst, we’ll give them a warning,” he said. “We have a certain level of tolerance, because the road is used by everyone,” he added.

Christian Savard, general manager of Vivre En Ville, a Quebec-based organization that promotes sustainable communities, said the bylaw wrongly puts the onus on children and their parents to get approval for play.

“The burden has been put on children who have to go and get signatures just to be able to play in the street, to be able to draw in the street, to be able to play hockey in the street. It’s nonsense,” he said.

Savard said it should be the other way around, with neighbours gathering signatures to ban street play if it becomes problematic. He wants Les Cèdres to follow the example of other Quebec municipalities.

In May, St-Lambert on Montreal’s South Shore authorized street play except on designated streets. Other municipalities in the province, including Mascouche and Gatineau, have passed similar bylaws.

Savard said that unlike at fenced-in park playgrounds, children play in the street in ways that are unstructured and spontaneous, all of which positively contributes to their development. Whether hosting a street hockey game or providing a pavement canvas for chalk art, the street gives children a space to socialize that is close enough for parents to monitor, Savard said.

Louise de Lannoy, executive director of Outdoor Play Canada, agrees. She said more free play in the street means less time being sedentary and staring at screens.

“If that play can happen in natural space, the benefits are even greater. But really any form of outdoor play is beneficial for children’s physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental health and well-being,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2024.

Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Quebec town’s bylaw requires kids to collect signatures to play in the street

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