how about the kids NOT playing in the streets? that might solve the problem. last i checked, streets were made for vehicular traffic .... not for the priority of kids to play in, einstein!!!! get the kids off the street!!!!

I've raised two children in Kingston-one in that area-and never allowed them to play in the street. If they did play on the sidewalk when they got a little older they were supervised!

We played baseball and tossed a foot ball. basketball, roller skated. And we kept the lititlest kids off the street, on the sidewalk.
I assume we are talking neighborhood, residential streets which are empty most of the time... drivers in residential neighborhoods should be very deferential to the residents and for sure be very wary to look for children playing. That's something big kids that drive cars should know.
The littlest kids should not be on the street, ever, of course.
And whether kids should be on the street or not, it is the responsibility of the driver to watch for them.
If you're going too fast to stop, you're going too fast.

Children should NOT be playing in the streets, period! There is no substitute for proper supervision.

This seems a bit harsh, and I may be eating some of my words, but here it is anyways.

Firstly, I want to keep all children SAFE, but only their parents can keep them protected.

Secondly : Keep the kids off the road.

If a deer jumps out in front of me, and My car hits it, its something neither I nor You could stop.

Now your children are a different matter.

If your kids are playing in the road, running in between cars or jumping out from behind a tree or a sign, no matter if i am going 15 mph, there is still a braking distance.

Please for the love of God, teach your children that a road is not a safe place to play, and teach them to understand that.

and if your children are playing on the FRONT YARD or on Property anywhere NEAR THE ROAD:

Please dress your children with bright reflective clothing like adults wear while running in the city streets. AND ALSO please get a sign for yourself, you can make it out of paint and plywood, and the NYS Department of transportation has standards online that you can follow as to what size the sign should be.

In My honest opinion: (The harsh part)
The cities coffers pay for parks, they pay for events, and SHOULD NOT pay for you to neglect the rules for your children. They also should not pay for a sign because you cannot keep your kids out of the road.

(The sad part)
If we were in a different financial time, This would be an awesome suggestion. If we werent being told by the DPW that we are losing services that our tax money payed for, maybe these things would change.

The final part:

I personally will drive alot slower on your road, thanks for the heads up.

Putting up Watch Children signs is very common and not an excessive drain on the city. They are requested in all neighborhoods in the city and should not be a reflection of poor parenting. It is an extra piece of mind but by no means a substitute for diligent caretaking of little ones. Now that the location is clarified and I had a chance to review the situation I am putting in a request to the DPW. Keep in mind that due to drastic staffing cuts it may take some time for the department to respond. In the meantime it is important to be extra careful and attentive to children who may wander into the streets in all of our residential neighborhoods.

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THE PARENTS, THEY WOULD NOT ALLOW A CHILD TO BE LEFT IN THE CAR IN THIS HEAT ,IT IS NEGLECT, SO WHY IS IT NOT NEGLECT TO ALLOW CHILDREN IN THE STREETS TO PLAY. ARE BOTH NOT A POSSIBLE RESULT OF A DEATH OF THE CHILD?????

I completely agree that children should NOT be allowed to play in the street EVER but, a child was hit by a car on that street in front of the house I rented only a few years ago. This is not a new problem. Perhaps it is time to post some kind of warning to drivers.

as commented before, if a deer comes out of 'nowhere' and strikes a vehicle ... what can a driver do? .... but try to avoid an accident! BUT ... in the city of kingston, we're gonna say its ok for a kid to play in the street ... run in to traffic ... so long as there's a sign that says 'children at play.' YUP! that should pretty much diminish any lawsuit hopes because some unsupervised kid KNOWS that its ok to run in to traffic because i sign has been placed!

are you kidding me????????? i'll tell you what .... why don't we post the exact same signs on thruway and then let your kids play in the median or the shoulder. how does that sound??????? let me know how you make out with that because thats about the line of the same mentality going on here in support of this stuff!!

Buford, being sarcastic and angry wont get you anywhere.

quit your trolling, and get constructive.

1) Buford: play nice, please
2) Kids playing: LIttle kids don't know better than to run out into the street, so everything about the street, including crossing it, is off limits, of course.
Then, cross the street without a parent but ever so carefully. And then, when you're a teen, sure: play ball, bike, skateboard, and the more the merrier. And those rules learned as a child: don't run into the street and look carefully when you cross: that holds forever.
But then there are the drivers: in any residential neighborhood, go slow. And teach your "kids" to do the same. If you see kids playing, if there are parked cars, if there is any sign that a kid might come into the street, go slow, be prepared to stop. Do that, teach that. 25, 25+ mph in a residential neighborhood in the day with cars parked and kids visible: that's driving too fast for conditions. Way too fast.

But seeing a bunch of older kids playing ball and riding skateboards all together in the street in front of their house? that's a good sign. that's a good neighborhood. There's a fine bunch from time to time out by the library.
Kids inside watching non stop TV? so you don't see any at all? Kids skulking on their porch looking "bad"... ? They should be out, and playing, moving.
The street is empty most of the time... a very good time to use it.

WATCHBIRD: Thank you for your insightful, thoughtful comments. This is exactly my "take" on the situation and why I asked for the sign in the first place.

THANK YOU!

A Watch Children sign has been requested and is in progress.

in response to Watchbird:

"But seeing a bunch of older kids playing ball and riding skateboards all together in the street in front of their house? that's a good sign. that's a good neighborhood. There's a fine bunch from time to time out by the library.
Kids inside watching non stop TV? so you don't see any at all? Kids skulking on their porch looking "bad"... ? They should be out, and playing, moving.
The street is empty most of the time... a very good time to use it."

I will emphatically say one thing to you:

If the bank is empty can you rob it?
the answer is no.

Children may see an empty street as a place to play, but this is incorrect. It ISNT

just because there are no cars on a street at a moment NEVER makes it an OK place to play.

99.9% of people can see read and follow signs, but there will always be one person on the cell/drinking a coffee/ drunk on the road that will Mow the kids down no matter what sign is there.

Please Please PLEASE dont make this a social issue or families raising internet zombies to allow kids to be put in harms way in the road.. THAT is just wrong! The kids can use sidewalks and crossing walks to get to many many many many parks.