A Fireman sitting on a seat designed to slow cars down.
You don't need real people to reclaim a street and make it look populated!

Do fewer children play in the street because the traffic more dangerous, or is the traffic more dangerous because fewer children play in the street?

There is probably evidence supporting both arguments, but self-professed ‘street reclaimer’ David Engwicht believes that simply moving everyday activities like play or conversation into the street have a real effect on traffic speed.  He believes that people can, just by being present, remind drivers that the streets they’re using are also used by people on foot – some of whom are children or older people. 

David offers a range of ‘street reclaiming’ techniques on – including the ingenious idea of residents driving around their own communities at or just below the speed limit in cars marked as ‘neighbourhood pace cars’. Another one of David's ideas is Traffic Tamers.