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As a kid I walked or rode to and from school from 8 normally in the company of the neighbours kids (who were my age) and/or my sister but I did it alone often enough.
As for wandering the streets, I was 12 when I was allowed to do that, with a curfew of 8pm in summer. I just had to let mum know.
In the area we live in now I wouldn't be letting my kids do that til quite a bit older I don't think. There are lots more main roads and traffic.
Same here.:
If we happen to live in a high traffic area or where there are lots of main roads i would say around high school age.
i live in a busy street (corner), two blocks from a major road, and one of our streets is a busy cut through (between two major roads). I think bilby is the only kid in this street, who doesn't walk around by herself. I'm amazed at the number of kids, and very young, that wander around by themselves, even at midnight. Many bad drivers around this area (driving stolen cars, cars without tyres, only rims, driving on wrong side of road, many people seem not to obey road rules) so i'm amazed there aren't fatalities.
Bilby has just turned six and when i walk along with her (rarely in this neighbourhood), she stops at each driveway and looks left and right, so i'm pleased with how her road sense is developing. She's just graduated to a bike with pedals, is riding with her dad, on the footpath. We live too far from school to ride or walk, unfortunately.
i really think the "how old" thing is dependent on the individual child. I think it's a parent's call, as to when their own child is ready and able. And yeah, how the child responds to traffic is very different, when they're on their own, as opposed to being with a group of their mates. And i'm not even touching the subject of, what if they have music headphones in/talking on a mobile phone into this equation. I really feel you need ALL your senses at your disposal, to safely be walking around, but realise i'm in the minority on that one.