Probably... Haven't witnessed or heard of any pedestrian/car accidents in my home town to facilitate such a change.
On the other hand, biking would be definitely less pleasurable and more dangerous for smaller kids now. Even as adult I don't enjoy biking with many cars around.
Safer in terms of having less crime, perhaps?
What about the danger of being run over by a car on the way to those places? Nowadays we typically have more cars, with lower visibility, driving faster than before because the roads are wider, straighter and with more lanes. It is an environment that is plainly hostile to pedestrians and children in particular.