To think these boys (ok, just their bikes...) should be banned from the playground?

[Prozacbear]

A pretty large local playground, average age of children is probably 3, which some older children (I mean early teens) who hang around after school and are very pleasant - pretty harmonious really.

Recently, a group of four or five boys, who I think are related, have been coming to the playground with their bikes. The youngest is probably about ten, and they are supervised (I say supervised, he basically cycles around on a huge souped up racing bike looking bored) by an older boy of about nineteen.

Yesterday, I took DS to the playground - he's pretty fast and 2.6 so not 100% on looking where he's going. He made a dash from the slide to the swings (a distance of, I would say, 30m) and I bent to pick up my handbag so I could follow. As I did, these boys started racing - an actual race - their bikes across the playground, right where DS was running.

I heard another parent shout, "No!" and looked up to see DS being clipped by the huge racing bike, ridden by one of the younger boys who clearly couldn't control it, and flying through the air!

Luckily DS is ok - he bumped his nose and had a noseblees and has quite a few scratches, but thankfully the bike didn't go over him. The boys were relatively apologetic, but as we left I heard the older boy say to a younger boy, "You can borrow the bike now" - have they learned nothing?!

Maybe the boys shouldn't be banned from the playground, but their bikes certainly bloody should. I am furious - AIBU to write to the council and get a massive NO BIKES sign put up?

They absolutely should be banned from the playground. That is appalling. I would be wanting to speak to the parents TBH.

Definitely report to Police and Council. Any CCTV around?

would the sign stop them? i would speak directly to them if you see them there again, if they continue to cause trouble contact the pcsos

Bikes and small children in playgrounds don't mix. A big bike going fast could easily seriously injure a small child.

I would ideally like them banned entirely - but I don't think they're bad kids, just irresponsible and new to the playground so don't quite get it. Maybe that's being too charitable.

I don't think the sign would stop them, but it would give me and other parents (who have been giving them the evil eye for the last couple of weeks) some back-up if we want to speak to them directly.

TBH I think parents are nervous of seeming anti-outsiders; it's a small community and everyone is very careful with each other.

If I see them again I will tell them they can't ride their bikes in the playground ... it's just not fair on the smaller children.

Is there a skate park nearby - with the ramps and so on - because that is somewhere you could suggest that they could go and have more fun on their bikes.

When you say playground, do you mean a small section of the park that has play equipment in it?

I don't think bikes should be allowed to be used around the play equipment, but if there is open space there then it's fine.

Older kids needs space to play in too, and it really depends if there is somewhere else suitable they could use.

School summer holidays are usually a nightmare for parents of toddlers and pre schoolers as they things they can usually enjoy in peace get taken over by older kids who are off school, but it only lasts a few weeks.

No, there isn't a skate park nearby unfortunately - I used to love the skate park as a child! There are other open, safe spaces however, we are overrun with parks!

Broken, no, it's a gated playground next to a green. There is a big park not 5 minutes (less on a racing bike [hmmm]) down the road which has grassy areas but also tarmac pathways. At 6pm or thereabouts it isn't particularly busy or full of children (whereas this playground is) so would be much more suitable - in fact, I might suggest that if I see them again.

I think that they just don't think about what they're doing - obviously they deserve space to play but this isn't a good space for them - it makes them dangerous.

In order to get enough speed up for a race I take it that there must be a lot of space, so the playground isn't enclosed and isn't just for toddlers. YANBU to be upset that this happened but YABVU to want to ban the boys and bikes. It was an accident and they apologised.

Older children need somewhere to play too. When yours is that age you'll realise that play spaces are very limited for anyone who's grown out of swings an slides and they get grumbled at and called hooligans when they're just letting off steam.

Perhaps you should find an enclosed toddlers' playground, or maybe walk with your ds when there are older children around.

Just seen your comment about the big park nearby. OK, so if you see them in the playground again, just ask them politely not to ride fast by the swings and suggest they try the other park. Appeal to their better nature and ask them to help you out by keeping the little ones safe. My boys would respond to that and so would their friends. They just wouldn't realise that they were being dangerous in the first instance.

Also, if they're only 10 or so, they probably still associate that park with being where they go to play and might just need a nudge in the direction of the bigger boys' park.

Harriet, the youngest looks about 10, the oldest looks 19 - he has facial hair! I blame him more than the child riding the bike - he is meant to be in charge and is the irresponsible one - he also didn't learn his lesson and let another smaller child on this massive bike after it knocked DS over.

I do agree that older children need space to play too - particularly in the summer hols. But this playground is gated, fences and is obviously designed for young children - the open ground is decorated with hopscotch, number snakes etc and so obviously not designed for through traffic.

In any case, they didn't mean for DS to be hurt, they were just unthinking. What concerns me is that they are going to keep doing it, and other children will potentially be hurt, and worse.

I do realise there are bigger problems in the world btw and this is very middle England...