Volunteers and marshals
To make the Play Street session safe for children to play out we ask that the organisers ask volunteers to act as Play Street "marshals". These volunteers are usually other residents who live on the street or family and friends. It is the marshals role to organise safe access to the street when required for example, residents who need to drive in or out of the street. There is a lot of useful advice on the role of the marshals in the 4 short videos 4 Steps to Holding a Play Street Session.
The marshals will also be responsible for placing the traffic signs at access points and removing them when the closure end's to allow safe access. Once in place, the marshals should not leave their posts except to let residents’ vehicles or visitors in and out.
Access to emergency vehicles will be allowed at all times. The emergency services staff are trained in how to approach and enter streets which are closed to through traffic and will work with marshal volunteers as needed.
The number of marshals required will depend on the size of the road, the number of access points and the expected numbers of residents and children taking part on the day. For all applications, we would ask for at least 2 marshals and possibly a floating marshal where the street is a longer road.
There is no specific uniform but all those acting as marshals must be easily identifiable by wearing hi visibility clothing. It is also useful to have a whistle which can be used to sound warnings or catch everyone's attention.
The marshals have an important job and should be clear on what their duties are on the day. There is no specific national qualification for marshalling a road closure but all marshals should be briefed properly before the event begins.