Street Meets

Street Meets are a great way to get to know your neighbours better, provide opportunities for play and make new friends. Street Meets enable residents to temporarily close their local streets under the required plan.

This initiative is part of a wider national project with Play Australia, which aims to reclaim quiet residential streets across Australia as places for neighbours of all ages to connect and play.

A key resident is required to be the driving force behind each Street Meet. Should your application has been approved, you will be supported through the necessary steps to ensure the relevant processes are followed.

Before applying, you will need:

• Time and energy to organise the Street Meet and liaise with Council
• A dedicated key resident/organiser
• Support from your neighbours
• Residents from your street who are willing to be designated traffic safety marshals. Their role is to install and remove the road closure signs, stand at the end of the road closure to monitor the road closure and escort any resident cars entering or exiting the road closure area.

The Street Meet key resident is the main organiser who must be in attendance at the Street Meet event and is responsible for:

• Applying to host the Street Meet event
• Being the main point of contact for Council
• Confirming resident support and notifying all residents about the Street Meet once approved
• Organising traffic safety marshals to form the road closure crew at your event
• Managing your event on the day
• Adhering to the Street Meet Guidelines

All Street Meets require at least two people to be traffic safety marshals in addition to the organiser. All marshals must be at least 18 years of age, watch an online video on how to close the street safely and complete a short quiz.

The traffic safety marshals are required to:

• Install and remove temporary signs to open and close the road. This needs to be done following the Traffic Guidance Scheme provided by Council. A flatbed trolley is provided to move the signs and sign bases. Please note the bases for the signs are 10kg each.
• Stand at either end of the road closure throughout the Street Meet. The road closure must be within your field of vision at all times to monitor the signs or respond to drivers requiring access.
• Escort residents’ vehicles that are entering or exiting the road closure area
• Complete the provided traffic management daily diary.

Council does not charge fees to host a Street Meet. However, you will need to provide your time to plan and coordinate the street meet on the day. You may also ask your neighbours to bring a plate of food and some activities to share.

The City of Holdfast Bay supports Street Meets to build community spirit and create new play spaces for children and families. We will support you by providing the following:

• A Street Meet guide to assist you in organising your own Street Meet
• An online video with instructions on how to safely close your street
• A Traffic Guidance Scheme outlining how the street is to be closed
• Traffic control devices and signs
• Public liability insurance for the Street Meet
• A risk assessment with identified safety controls
• A point of contact with Council staff for any queries or concerns

Street Meets are suitable on quiet local streets that meet the following criteria:

• 1000 cars or less per day
• Minimal through traffic
• Not on a bus or commercial route
• An easy alternative route can be provided
• No road or footpath works are scheduled at the time of the street meet
• The street must remain accessible by emergency service vehicles
• On-street parking is still permitted during a Street Meet at the vehicle owner’s own risk

Should your street be deemed as unsuitable, we can discuss with you some alternative options should you still wish to run a neighbourhood activity.

A great way to plan a street meet is to involve your neighbours.

• Share the idea with neighbours you think will like the initiative and invite two or three people to help you get things started.
• A Facebook-savvy neighbour may like to set up a resident’s page to invite people and stay connected.
• Perhaps a local musician would like to perform live music?
• Residents may like to help by designing invitations; they can be creative and make the design unique to the street.
• Encourage neighbours to bring their play and sporting equipment to the event.
• Kids may like to make decorations to add a festive atmosphere to the street. You could try streamers, flags, and bunting. Provide chalk for kids to draw street art on the road.
• Consider involving a local service group to assist with children’s activities or run a BBQ.
• Share the task of inviting people – door-knocking and hand-delivering information work well and it starts the connecting process.

A Street Meet is a great opportunity for you and your neighbours to bring activities and toys out into your street, including:

• Sporting equipment such as cricket sets, skipping ropes, table tennis
• Chalk and art materials
• Kids bikes, skateboards, and scooters
• Giant games and toys such as bubbles, Connect 4, Jenga, snakes and ladders

The City of Holdfast Bay has partnered with Play Australia to run 1000 Play Streets in our community. 1000 Play Streets is a movement for Australians to reclaim their quiet residential streets as places for neighbours of all ages to connect and play regularly, ultimately improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

The Street Meet organiser must be in attendance at the event and are responsible for:

• Completing a Street Meet application form and submitting it to Council.
• Being the main point of contact for your Street Meet.
• Inviting residents and notifying them of the road closure by distributing invitations at least three weeks prior. This can be done using our sample letter which includes; start and finish time, contact details, and any other information about the event.
• Managing the event on the day.
• Arranging a Traffic Marshal to escort residents’ vehicles that are entering or exiting the road closure area. Residents should want to leave during the road closure times park their vehicles outside the road closure area in advance.
• Completion of a simple pre and post-event evaluation survey.