Street Meets

Street Meets are a great way to get to know your neighbours better, provide opportunities for play and make new friends. Street Meets enable residents to temporarily close their local street, in accordance with the required plan.

This initiative is part of a wider national project with Play Australia which aims to reclaim quiet residential streets across Australia as places for neighbours of all ages to connect and play.

A key resident is required to be the driving force behind each Street Meet. Once your application has been approved, you will be supported through the necessary steps to ensure the relevant processes are followed.

Before applying, you will need:

• A dedicated key resident/organiser
• An approved application permitting the relevant Street Meet
• Time to organise the Street Meet and liaise with Council
• Support from your neighbours
• Residents from your street who are willing to be designated traffic safety marshals. Their role is to install and remove the road closure signs, stand at the end of the road closure to monitor the road closure and escort any resident cars entering or exiting the road closure area.

The Street Meet key resident is the main organiser who must be in attendance at the Street Meet event and is responsible for:

• Applying to host the Street Meet event
• Being the main point of contact for Council
• Confirming resident support and notifying all residents about the Street Meet once approved
• Organising traffic safety marshals to form the road closure crew at your event
• Managing your event on the day
• Adhering to the Street Meet Guidelines

All Street Meets require at least two people to be traffic safety marshals, in addition to the organiser. All marshals must be at least 18 years of age and are required to watch an online video on how to safely close the street and complete a short quiz.

The traffic safety marshals are required to:

• Install and remove temporary signs to open and close the road. This needs to be done following the Traffic Guidance Scheme provided by Council. A flatbed trolley is provided to move the signs and sign bases. Please note, the bases for the signs are 10kg each
• Stand at either end of the road closure throughout the Street Meet. The road closure must be within your field of vision at all times to monitor the signs or respond to drivers requiring access
• Escort residents’ vehicles that are entering or exiting the road closure area
• Complete the provided traffic management daily diary

There are no fees charged by the council to host a Street Meet. You will need to provide your time to plan and coordinate the street meet on the day. You may also like to ask your neighbours to bring along a plate of food and some activities to share.

The City of Holdfast Bay supports Street Meets as a way to build community spirit and create new spaces for children and families to play. We will support you by providing the following:

• A Street Meet guide to assist you in organising your own Street Meet
• An online video with instructions on how to safely close your street
• A Traffic Guidance Scheme outlining how the street is to be closed
• Traffic control devices and signs
• Public liability insurance for the Street Meet
• A risk assessment with identified safety controls
• A point of contact with Council staff for any queries or concerns

Street Meets are suitable on quiet local streets that meet the following criteria:

• 1000 cars or less per day
• Minimal through traffic
• Not on a bus or commercial route
• An easy alternative route can be provided
• No road or footpath works are scheduled at the time of the street meet
• The street must remain accessible by emergency service vehicles
• On-street parking is still permitted during a Street Meet at the vehicle owner’s own risk

A great way of planning a Street Meet is by getting your neighbours involved.

• Share the idea with neighbours you think will like the initiative and invite two or three people to help you get things started.
• A Facebook-savvy neighbour may like to set up a resident’s page to invite people and stay connected.
• Perhaps a local musician would like to perform live music?
• A resident may like to help by designing invitations, they can be creative and make the design unique to the street
• Encourage neighbours to bring their play and sporting equipment to the event.
• Kids may like to make decorations to add a festive atmosphere to the street. You could try streamers, flags, and bunting. Provide chalk for kids to draw street art on the road.
• Consider involving a local service group to assist with children’s activities or run a BBQ.
• Share the task of inviting people – door-knocking and hand-delivering information work well and it starts the connecting process.

A Street Meet is a great opportunity for you and your neighbours to bring activities and toys out into your street; including:

• Sporting equipment such as cricket sets, skipping ropes, table tennis
• Chalk and art materials
• Kids bikes, skateboards, and scooters
• Giant games and toys such as bubbles, Connect 4, Jenga, snakes and ladders

The City of Holdfast Bay have partnered with Play Australia to run 1000 Play Streets in our community. 1000 Play Streets is a movement for Australians to reclaim their quiet residential streets as places for neighbours of all ages to connect and play regularly, and to ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.