Sustainable transport charity Sustrans has launched a Dream Street design competition aimed at finding out what Britain’s children would like to see on the streets they live on and what features would make it easier – and safer – for them to get around whether on foot or by bike.
The competition runs until 31 October and entries will be judged by a three man panel comprising Alan Pendlewood, managing director of play area business Pendlewood, Alex Allan, project director of Sustrans’ Liveable Neighborhoods and fashion designer Wayne Hemingway,who also founded urban redevelopment agency Hemingway Design, who says:
“I know what my dream street would look like, families who put their chairs and tables out to augment great street furniture, bikes safely parked up and people people people making it impossible for cars to go at a speed that could do serious damage. But I can’t wait to see the fruits of our children’s’ imaginations – we could, and should, learn a lot!”
Paul Osborne, Sustrans Director of School Travel commented: “Sustrans believes that every child should have the freedom from their front door to explore, play outdoors, and make their own way to school and beyond. We’re inviting young people aged 7 to 14 to get involved and tell us what kind of street they’d like to see to make it easier for them to travel independently.”
One youngster who will be taking part in the competition is nine-year-old Danny Conway from Bristol, who said: “If I could redesign my street I would create more space for children with fewer cars. We would have a bigger space to run around in and make it brighter so that everyone feels happier.”
There are four main prizes on offer including two family holidays in camping pods provided by Pitchup.com for individual winners, while schools can compete for a Pendlewood Kew 3 outdoor classroom for the 11-14 category and a Hissing Sid Bench.
Further details of those prizes and the competition, including how to take part, can be found on the Sustrans website.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.