Legalizing Street Play

Emily Sullivan reports: "Playing a game of tag or tossing a ball on the streets of Baltimore is, thanks to current city laws, illegal. A new City Hall measure introduced by Councilman Ryan Dorsey is trying to change that."

Councilmember Dorsey specifically mentioned parking in a recent council hearing on the new bill, saying: "it’s beyond the pale to say not only are we going to prioritize private storage of material goods, but we're also going to criminalize other non-harmful uses of that public street."

The city's Police Department and Department of Transportation spoke at the hearing on the need to protect children playing in streets from motor vehicles. "DOT director Steve Sharkey wrote that his department will support the bill if it includes an amendment to repeal the prohibition of play on local roads only, meaning play on thoroughfares like MLK Boulevard and The Alameda would remain banned," reports Sullivan.