NEWS

Kids at Play signs appearing on North Toronto streets

Karsen family with Kids at Play sign
SAFER STREET: Belinda Karsen, with husband Scott, son Fox, infant daughter Elisabeth and dog Findlay, on neighbourhood street she hopes will be safer with the Kids at Play warning signs she purchased from advocacy group in Leaside.

The Kids at Play campaign, begun this summer by concerned parents in Leaside following the traffc-related death of a 7-year-old girl, has spread north to Yonge Lawrence Village.

Belinda Karsen, who last year founded the community group Uptown Yonge Neighbourhood Alliance, recently purchased 50 traffic-calming signs and so far has distributed 30 throughout her Yonge and Strathgowan neighbourhood, including St. Hildas Avenue, Aldbury Gardens and Blythwood Road.

The signs depicting a silhouette of a child’s head and bearing a slogan cautioning motorists to slow down and be alert to children playing, are placed at the edge of properties near the street.

“Our neighbours really support the initiative, because there are a lot of families in this neighbourhood, and really bad traffic problems involving speed and non-compliance with stop signs,” said Karsen, a mother of two children. “I also like it because as the organizers have said, it’s not just a reminder to other drivers, but indicates that the people in this house have made a promise to drive more carefully themselves.”

Meghan Sherwin, part of a group of six Leaside residents to start the Kids At Play initiative after Georgia Walsh died while crossing Millwood Road and McRae Drive on July 16, says more than 10,000 signs have been printed to date.

In addition, the group has created six-foot banners and reflective Halloween bags. All have been distributed to local neighbourhoods such as Davisville Village, and in other Toronto locales, including Roncesvalles and Scarborough. They have also gone to out-of-province communities, in Moncton, Saskatoon and Vancouver Island.

“Originally, we hoped that we could drive awareness of road safety specifically within the Leaside community,” Sherwin said. “As the campaign continues to grow into other communities we are humbled by the support.”