The hidden messages of bylaw enforcement

Earlier this month, bylaw enforcement in Prince George made a homeowner to take down a “Slow Down, Kids Playing” sign.
The comments on that article have plenty of upset people. It also prompted a blog post from Dezene Huber:

“The part that really irked me was a comment from the city manager of transportation operations in response to a media inquiry:
‘Parents should encourage their children to play in playgrounds as playing near the street is not the safest place to play.’
“The thing that bugs me about this comment is its deeper implication that spontaneous play in a child’s own yard is not safe and that the only places that kids should be are in a playground (highly supervised, of course) or, presumably, in their house. This comment leaves the impression that, in the mind of our city officials, a yard is inherently unsafe.”

There are many ways you can shape the character of a city. Taking down these sorts of signs in cul-de-sacs is one of them.
For the record, one of the first things we told our neighbours when we moved in is that their kids are free to incorporate our front yard into their play area when they’re out on the street.