MOUNT HAWTHORN parents have banded together to take back the streets for their kids.
From Sunday next week (November 27) Rae Street will be closed off for a couple of hours each weekend thanks to a bunch of mums who wanted to give their kids somewhere to play close to home.
The group submitted their proposal to Vincent council as part of this year’s budget deliberations and scored $10,000 to make it happen; that’s a trike-load more than they’ll need, but they reserved some of the money in case traffic management turned out to be costly.
“Backyards are small and the kids are ready to explore their neighbourhood,” says mum Katharina Popp.
She says the kids go to different schools, so opening up the street for play lets them get to know neighbours they might not usually meet.
The mums also hoping the experience helps kids build independence and confidence, so when they get older they’ll not be scared walking the city.
Mayor John Carey says “what I love about this project is it’s resident-led: This is residents saying they want liveable streets for kids to play and have fun. I reckon other streets will want it too.”
The first day of the trial starts November 27 at 3.30pm.
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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