Kissimmee Bans Children From Playing In Streets

Kissimmee Bans Children From Playing In Streets

POSTED: 6:31 am EST November 9, 2005

Children in Kissimmee, Fla., are no longer allowed to play in the streets or on sidewalks, according to a Local 6 News report.

Tuesday night, Kissimmee City commissioners agreed to a new ordinance that makes it illegal for children to play with portable recreational equipment, like basketball hoops and hockey nets in the streets or sidewalks.

Violators will face a $100 fine.

http://www.local6.com/news/5285092/detail.html

We used to play tag football in the streets all the time and kickball. Not much traffic in my hood and we knew everyone. It does not say if playing in the streets in general is banned though - just seems centered around the implements being used.

Here's quarter. Go play in the street.

They're portable.

they finally took the Fascist Pig to court, he had done it to dozens of people.. and they won

When I was a kid we used to play football, baseball, and in general play in the street. But all of our equipment was instantaneously portable, ie if we saw a car coming we would snatch up our stuff and get out of the way.

With basketball hoops and hockey nets, kids can't move these right away, and they can take up a good size portion of the right of way, and thus create a hazard for motorists. I know I've had to stop abruptly for some of these road side hoops and the gang of kids they attract. Damn near ran over one oblivious child one time.

although I would not go as far to legislate this. Kids can play in the street, they just can't set up Hockey nets and such in the path of traffic.

There are a couple of families on my street that do this, it is a little annoying to sit and wait while they drag all the equipment out of the street so I can go by. (I would think it would be annoying to them too, since they are the ones dragging the net back and forth). But this seems like something that I could take up with the families myself if it truly got on my nerves.

It's a shame this had to be legislated, but sometimes no matter how polite you are, parents take it as a personal attack.

I try to tell them that I'm doing my part to drown out their children's noise, but on the other hand, there is no reason why their children should be a problem for me. The parents don't want to listen to the racket either, which is why they send them in the street rather than have them play in the yard or greenspace.

People drove like maniacs -- locals, tourons, everyone.

Plus, it's blocking traffic lanes... very dangerous.

After working trauma at a Children's Hospital.
I believe they outlawed ice cream trucks in Dallas for the very reason.
It sounds harsh but having 2-3 kids a month run over when going to the ice cream truck kind of takes the fun out of it.
We don't have the world anymore that we had when we were kids therefore we can't always live by the same rules or enjoy the same things.
As sad as that is.:(

For those of you who don't know, Kissimmee is a little town off the turnpike that happens to be right next to Disney's property. Because of this, it exploded from a little hick town into a tourist trap, and the economy of the community is now supported almost entirely by tourism. So, from the turnpike to Disney, there is nothing but hotels, souvenier shops, and minor (and not so minor) tourist attractions. People from all over America and the world drive up and down this strip, most of them shittily. Also, though I haven't been there for years now, there seems to be permanent road construction along parts of it. Anyway, with all the distractions to drivers already present, and given the low level of driving skill displayed by most in these areas, I can understand trying to prevent kids from playing anything near the traffic that might endanger their lives or the stupid drivers. However, off the beaten path, back in the residential areas where the tourists don't go, I don't think this law need apply.

There are a ton of parent's who just let their kids do it, and don't teach them that they have to move when a car comes. So the kids will just stay there, in the street.

And you're stuck.

You can't him them or run them over. There would be too many witnesses, and the hockey nets would probably ruin your car.

the city is obviously going to be building a bunch of new parks with basketball/tennis courts, hockey rinks, football fields, etc, right?


right?

"Playing hopscotch without a license . . ."