Not too heavy hands on street play

What says summer more than a pickup game of basketball? A child's cry of “car” as a passing sedan interrupts neighborhood games on a town's quiet side streets?

Not in Hiawatha, where an ordinance bans anyone playing in any roadway. City leaders cite liability and safety concerns.

While we agree that safety is important, Hiawatha's approach seems heavy-handed. The decision whether it's safe or not to play on a particular street should be made by responsible parents who teach their children common sense, not by a one-size-fits-all ordinance.

Obviously, some city streets are too busy and dangerous for games, and authorities are right to discourage such activity on those roads.

But Hiawatha ordinance 135.04 makes it “unlawful for any person to coast, sled or play games on streets or alleys, except in the areas blocked off by the City for such purposes.”

The issue came to light recently after four Hiawatha residents were asked to remove basketball hoops they'd placed on a cul-de-sac in the city right of way.

Kim Packingham asked councilors at a meeting earlier this month to make an exception for the long-standing and popular neighborhood hoops.

But councilors held their ground.

Mayor Tom Theis

told us this week he thinks most, if not all, the hoops have since been removed.

This seems counterproductive.

We want our children to be active and our neighborhoods to be close-knit. Those neighborhood hoops could

help further both ends. The mayor wasn't convinced.

“That's why we have parks,” he told us.

True, but what's wrong with allowing a game or two right there in the neighborhood, so long as it doesn't impede traffic or put players at undue risk of harm?

“I would be concerned that somebody would potentially get hurt playing in the street,” Hiawatha Police Chief Dennis Marks told us. “Every case is a little bit different, of course.”

Marks said his officers aren't out patrolling specifically for kids violating the ordinance. They just want to know everyone is being safe.

No penalty is outlined in the ordinance. Marks said violations would be a simple misdemeanor and a judge would determine the fine.

“I would hope that we wouldn't get to that point,” he said. “Obviously, compliance is what we're looking for.”

He said a more likely scenario would be an officer talking to parents and children about playing more safely.

It isn't unheard of for a city to pass an ordinance prohibiting street games - the city of Coralville, for example, has an ordinance similar to the one in Hiawatha. Still, it seems extreme and unnecessary for every street and alley.

As Marks said: “It's the parent's responsibility to supervise their kids.”

We agree.