Author Topic: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....  (Read 9869 times)

Fodder

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 217
  • Location: Ottawa, ON
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/eagleson-road-bridge-s-sidewalks-closed-because-they-re-not-safe-1.2927282

This is in my area - for context, there is a large transit park and ride area on one side of the highway.  On the other side of the highway there is a residential community.  For many people who live in that community, it is faster to walk over the highway and then take a bus from the park and ride (well-served by transit) rather than either drive to the lot (where there are often no spots left) or catch an infrequent local bus to and from the lot.

Apparently our transportation ministry did not actually bother to design a true sidewalk....rather, a "raised safety curb."  This "curb" is now completely impassible in winter as it is not wide enough for our sidewalk plows to clear, and to top it off, it's also generally inaccessible to those with mobility impairment because it has curbs on it.

This bridge was just redone and the original plan actually called for sidewalks on BOTH sides....but nope...all hail king car and screw the pedestrians.  And don't even think about biking over the bridge...because you would basically be asking to get crushed by cars jockeying to get onto the highway.


ARGH.

dandarc

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5457
  • Age: 41
  • Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2015, 08:15:24 AM »
That sucks.  Our city is going the other way - deliberately slowing traffic down in a lot of areas to make walking / bus riding relatively more attractive.  I imagine this goes without saying, but remember this next time elections roll around.

austin

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 147
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 08:59:29 AM »
You can really get a feel for how much of a dump a neighborhood is by going for a run or walk ad noting the sidewalks or lake thereof. I've been trying different run routes by where I live and it is just awful how little sidewalks there are and how unwalkable it is.

Jack

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4725
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2015, 10:19:01 AM »
In the United States, I'm pretty sure rebuilding a bridge without sidewalks would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (unless it was on a controlled-access freeway prohibited to pedestrians in general).

If Canada has a similar law, somebody could (and should!) probably sue and force the government to fix it.

Louis the Cat

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 109
  • Age: 41
  • Location: Front Range Area, CO
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2015, 10:51:58 AM »
Don't get too excited about ADA requirements. My parents live in Oklahoma City and the older and poorer neighborhoods have these ADA compliant ramps at all the intersections...with no sidewalks...anywhere...

The city had to put in the ramps to get federal funding for road repairs but they're useless and you see people all the time with motorized wheelchairs or other disability aids traveling down rutted paths cut into the side of the road, but they have the 4 foot wide ramps at the intersections, so it's all ok!

My mom lives a mile from her work and would love to walk but can't because there are no sidewalks and no shoulders.

justajane

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2146
  • Location: Midwest
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2015, 11:17:41 AM »
There are a bunch of nice neighborhoods near my area, honestly nicer than my community. They were built between 1940 and 1960. Some streets have sidewalks, others don't. I just don't get it. I wonder how that happened.

I definitely judge a neighborhood based on whether or not it has sidewalks. That was a non-negotiable for me. I had to have sidewalks. Now that I have kids, I'm very glad I was that discriminating.

Fodder

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 217
  • Location: Ottawa, ON
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2015, 11:32:57 AM »
My actual neighbourhood does not have sidewalks....but it is a rural subdivision with 20 houses, so there is very, very little car traffic.  Sidewalks would be redundant as there is plenty of roadway to share.

It's ridiculous that this bridge would not have sidewalks....it's already one of those miserable crossings where a pedestrian has to dart across an on-ramp twice (once for the east-bound on-ramp, and once for west-bound)....and the railings are kinda low, which is not the most enjoyable when walking overtop of a busy highway, alongside 70km/h traffic.  I still just can't believe they would NOT PUT A FREAKING SIDEWALK.  It's a main thoroughfare across the town, and like I said, it connects one entire community to the a main transit hub.

rocksinmyhead

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1489
  • Location: Oklahoma
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2015, 11:43:20 AM »
Don't get too excited about ADA requirements. My parents live in Oklahoma City and the older and poorer neighborhoods have these ADA compliant ramps at all the intersections...with no sidewalks...anywhere...

The city had to put in the ramps to get federal funding for road repairs but they're useless and you see people all the time with motorized wheelchairs or other disability aids traveling down rutted paths cut into the side of the road, but they have the 4 foot wide ramps at the intersections, so it's all ok!

My mom lives a mile from her work and would love to walk but can't because there are no sidewalks and no shoulders.

yep, sounds like Oklahoma. I live in Tulsa and it's the same story here. I always feel so bad when I see people in wheelchairs trying to get around.

re. the original post... that is so insane and maddening. when I read the post title I thought of our recent sidewalk kerfuffle:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/gatheringplace/mayor-agrees-to-allow-sidewalk-along-riverside-drive/article_a824141d-2a11-535f-81a9-eea256132bf3.html

seriously it took months to convince the mayor to let them put a sidewalk to this new multi-million dollar park they're building (paid for by a private foundation), because he thought it WOULDN'T BE SAFE. he was quoted on local public radio saying something along the lines of, "well, you know, all it takes is one person, say it's after the fireworks show on the Fourth of July, and they've had a few beers too many, and they veer off the road and into the sidewalk..." I mean, let me get this straight... the solution to drunk drivers killing pedestrians isn't to eliminate drunk driving, it's to eliminate pedestrians???

and they wonder why we're one of the fattest states in the nation... *grumble grumble*

sorry for derailing with my own story, but what I meant to say is, I feel your pain (although at least we're getting our sidewalk, because people got organized and threw a huge fit about it)

seattlecyclone

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7254
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Seattle, WA
    • My blog
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2015, 03:04:42 PM »
There are a bunch of nice neighborhoods near my area, honestly nicer than my community. They were built between 1940 and 1960. Some streets have sidewalks, others don't. I just don't get it. I wonder how that happened.

This was very common around that time. New suburban neighborhoods were built with more spacing between houses, more winding streets, and zoning that kept residential areas far away from commercial areas. This combination added up to long travel distances between homes and all other destinations. If there's nothing worth visiting within walking distance, why build sidewalks? After growing up in such a neighborhood, I don't intend to live in one again. I like living close enough to things that walking is a viable mode of transportation much of the time.

ambimammular

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 424
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Indiana
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2015, 12:14:10 PM »
The property taxes are super low where we live...and it's reflected in the lousy condition of our sidewalks.

You can't push a baby stroller around; we had a running stroller with knobby tires for hurdling the cracks. I don't see how someone in a wheelchair or pushing a walker could do it.

GetItRight

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 627
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2015, 12:27:11 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Mississippi Mudstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2171
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Danielsville, GA
    • A Riving Home - Ramblings of a Recusant Woodworker
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2015, 02:26:31 PM »
We just moved to an island on Florida from rural Mississippi. The difference in the quality (and existence) of sidewalks, bike paths, and public parks is incredible. The property taxes are a bit higher, but the improvement in quality of life is more than worth it.

And GetItRight: Your comment is inane.

austin

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 147
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2015, 03:17:53 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2015, 03:56:05 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

galliver

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1863
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2015, 04:02:14 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

LucyBIT

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 99
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #15 on: January 23, 2015, 04:05:41 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

Public strucutres/goods/services/infrastructure should be paid for with taxes. Period. That's kind of the whole point of taxes.

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2015, 04:19:32 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

Hmm -- I've never lived on a street with sidewalks.  I probably never will.  It never occurred to me that their presence would be a dealbreaker.  But, the street I grew up on turned to a one lane dirt road less than a mile past my house so that's probably why -- the side of the road is perfectly safe when you're only encountering one car every half hour :D

My aunt was telling me a story the other day about how a former coworker had bought a house on the dirt part of the same street we lived on, and was talking excitedly about how she couldn't wait for street lights and sidewalks to be put in -- we got a good laugh about that one!  I think the lady made her husband sell and moved back to suburbia a year or two later.  Don't you think you'd want a paved road before you worry about sidewalks and streetlights?  This is in a town that to this day does not have a single regular traffic light (just blinking caution ones and one for a swing bridge).

galliver

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1863
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2015, 04:25:48 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

Hmm -- I've never lived on a street with sidewalks.  I probably never will.  It never occurred to me that their presence would be a dealbreaker.  But, the street I grew up on turned to a one lane dirt road less than a mile past my house so that's probably why -- the side of the road is perfectly safe when you're only encountering one car every half hour :D

My aunt was telling me a story the other day about how a former coworker had bought a house on the dirt part of the same street we lived on, and was talking excitedly about how she couldn't wait for street lights and sidewalks to be put in -- we got a good laugh about that one!  I think the lady made her husband sell and moved back to suburbia a year or two later.  Don't you think you'd want a paved road before you worry about sidewalks and streetlights?  This is in a town that to this day does not have a single regular traffic light (just blinking caution ones and one for a swing bridge).

Ok, admittedly if I was in a rural area it wouldn't be so much of a dealbreaker :) My uncle lives out in the woods in WV on a one-lane gravel road. No one really expects sidewalks or needs them (I used to just go jogging on the side of the road down to the lake...good workout on those hills!) But in urban or suburban or even small town environments, there isn't really an excuse.

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2015, 04:42:54 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

Hmm -- I've never lived on a street with sidewalks.  I probably never will.  It never occurred to me that their presence would be a dealbreaker.  But, the street I grew up on turned to a one lane dirt road less than a mile past my house so that's probably why -- the side of the road is perfectly safe when you're only encountering one car every half hour :D

My aunt was telling me a story the other day about how a former coworker had bought a house on the dirt part of the same street we lived on, and was talking excitedly about how she couldn't wait for street lights and sidewalks to be put in -- we got a good laugh about that one!  I think the lady made her husband sell and moved back to suburbia a year or two later.  Don't you think you'd want a paved road before you worry about sidewalks and streetlights?  This is in a town that to this day does not have a single regular traffic light (just blinking caution ones and one for a swing bridge).

Ok, admittedly if I was in a rural area it wouldn't be so much of a dealbreaker :) My uncle lives out in the woods in WV on a one-lane gravel road. No one really expects sidewalks or needs them (I used to just go jogging on the side of the road down to the lake...good workout on those hills!) But in urban or suburban or even small town environments, there isn't really an excuse.

Haha well I can understand that.  And I realized I did actually live in several apartments in bigger towns with sidewalks, I think I was just thinking about houses lol.  I'd definitely want them in a more populated area!   

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9923
  • Registered member
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #19 on: January 25, 2015, 01:11:13 PM »
There are a bunch of nice neighborhoods near my area, honestly nicer than my community. They were built between 1940 and 1960. Some streets have sidewalks, others don't. I just don't get it. I wonder how that happened.

I definitely judge a neighborhood based on whether or not it has sidewalks. That was a non-negotiable for me. I had to have sidewalks. Now that I have kids, I'm very glad I was that discriminating.

I think it's more likely to keep the poors out.  Cause, you know, only poors can't afford a car.  And anyone who can afford a car certainly wouldn't walk!

Kris

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7335
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2015, 01:25:02 PM »
There are a bunch of nice neighborhoods near my area, honestly nicer than my community. They were built between 1940 and 1960. Some streets have sidewalks, others don't. I just don't get it. I wonder how that happened.

I definitely judge a neighborhood based on whether or not it has sidewalks. That was a non-negotiable for me. I had to have sidewalks. Now that I have kids, I'm very glad I was that discriminating.

I think it's more likely to keep the poors out.  Cause, you know, only poors can't afford a car.  And anyone who can afford a car certainly wouldn't walk!

Yup. 

There's a toney first- ring suburb in my metropolitan area where the residents are actually fighting with the city to overturn its decision to start putting in sidewalks.  It blew my mind when I heard that.  It's a very pretty area -- not gross suburban beige hell -- , and If I were a resident there, I would be thrilled to have sidewalks there so I could take walks and enjoy it.  But, I guess we can't have people on foot, wilding around and stealing, can we?

Goldielocks

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7062
  • Location: BC
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2015, 07:19:37 PM »
Gah! time to provide walk behind snowplow / sidewalk sweepers like used in downtown for property maintenance.

infogoon

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 838
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #22 on: January 26, 2015, 08:40:28 AM »
There are a bunch of nice neighborhoods near my area, honestly nicer than my community. They were built between 1940 and 1960. Some streets have sidewalks, others don't. I just don't get it. I wonder how that happened.

I definitely judge a neighborhood based on whether or not it has sidewalks. That was a non-negotiable for me. I had to have sidewalks. Now that I have kids, I'm very glad I was that discriminating.

I think it's more likely to keep the poors out.  Cause, you know, only poors can't afford a car.  And anyone who can afford a car certainly wouldn't walk!

Same reason that the suburbs around here kick up a fuss at the idea of expanding public transportation into their area. It just allows "undesirables" in.

Apparently these nimrods are unaware that those same "undesirables" are the people who work for minimum wage as retail clerks and dishwashers in their posh shopping districts, and would really like a way to get to work.

Wolf_Stache

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 920
  • Age: 43
  • Location: Portland
    • Flower's Fang
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #23 on: January 28, 2015, 12:05:25 PM »
The property taxes are super low where we live...and it's reflected in the lousy condition of our sidewalks.

You can't push a baby stroller around; we had a running stroller with knobby tires for hurdling the cracks. I don't see how someone in a wheelchair or pushing a walker could do it.

Where I was living in Columbia City didn't have sidewalks. So the wheelchair riders would take up the entire car lane. Not kidding. It was pretty funny seeing cars get stuck behind them. Nothing they could do, they couldn't move out of the road because the roadsides were muddy ditches.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #24 on: January 28, 2015, 01:20:08 PM »
There's likely nothing stopping you or any other property owners from putting in sidewalks. If you value a sidewalk install one, or mention it to your neighbors to gauge their interest, or mention it to the business that it may attract more business from foot traffic. Sounds complainypants to whine about it when you hold the solution.

Are you actually suggesting that a feasible alternative to the local municipality or state installing sidewalks is to have homeowners put their own in piecemeal?

Lol, you'd be walking down the sidewalk and it'd disappear every 500 ft and not pick back up again until a couple houses down.  Seems pretty pointless!

I've passed through neighborhoods that do this and it's *worse* than not having a sidewalk. At least if there's none at all I feel justified in walking on the roadway/shoulder (on the left side, as is proper).

My impression is that sidewalk-presence is a bell curve: the poorest neighborhoods don't have them, and neither do the richest (possibly built in that postwar period). I agree that they're a bit of a dealbreaker for me in terms of choosing places to live!

Public strucutres/goods/services/infrastructure should be paid for with taxes. Period. That's kind of the whole point of taxes.


Our city requires sidewalks in residential neighborhoods.  It is the responsibility of the homeowner to install and repair the sidewalk. They come out every 3 years (they rotate through the whole city) and mark any cracks or uplifts with spray paint. You then have 6 months to fix the marked issue, or they fix it for you and bill you (at a much higher rate than if you contract it yourself.)   Supposedly you can get fined if you don't shovel your snow within 24 hours, but if that happens it doesn't seem to deter people.

If a lot is empty, there is no sidewalk there.  Right now we have a few empty lots on my street, so the sidewalk does indeed just start and stop.

Albert

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1244
  • Location: Switzerland
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #25 on: January 28, 2015, 02:05:32 PM »
If a lot is empty, there is no sidewalk there.  Right now we have a few empty lots on my street, so the sidewalk does indeed just start and stop.

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read in some time.

Here sometimes in small villages there is no sidewalk because the street is so narrow that if there was one a car would be unable to get through (houses start immediately on the street side with zero gap). Of course a speed limit is 30 km/h and cars wait for people and vice versa.

Jack

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4725
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #26 on: January 28, 2015, 03:25:42 PM »
If a lot is empty, there is no sidewalk there.  Right now we have a few empty lots on my street, so the sidewalk does indeed just start and stop.

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read in some time.

The main ridiculous thing about what you quoted is that owners of vacant lots aren't being held to the same standard as owners of lots with houses on them.

Here's something really ridiculous: Atlanta has a similar law (in theory), except it's a huge clusterfuck.

First of all, property owners are legally obligated to maintain sidewalks, but not install them where they don't exist (so if your property doesn't have one, you're golden!).

Second, there's been an ongoing lack of enforcement over the last 30 years or so, so there's a backlog of substandard sidewalks that would take (literally!) hundreds of millions of dollars to fix. This also means that most of the property owners with substandard sidewalks inherited the liability from previous owners, which is unfair.

Third, the same lack of enforcement also means that house flippers have been able to get away with just ripping out their sidewalks and failing to replace them.

Fourth, many of the poorer parts of the city have people on fixed-incomes who only can afford to live there because their homes are paid off; if the city enforced the law by putting a tax lien on them for the $4000 it would take to fix their sidewalks, they'd lose their home.

enigmaT120

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
  • Location: Falls City, OR
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #27 on: January 29, 2015, 02:31:49 PM »
Much of my little town lacks sidewalks, but it seems to work out OK.  Pedestrians, bicyclists, horse riders, and wheel chairs just go down the street.  I can pass the horses on my bicycle, even uphill.  But they were just walking.

We use people as traffic calming devices.


dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9923
  • Registered member
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #28 on: January 29, 2015, 04:20:45 PM »
most of the property owners with substandard sidewalks inherited the liability from previous owners, which is unfair

How is this unfair?  Could they not see the condition of the sidewalk when they purchased the house?

Jack

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4725
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2015, 06:23:24 AM »
most of the property owners with substandard sidewalks inherited the liability from previous owners, which is unfair

How is this unfair?  Could they not see the condition of the sidewalk when they purchased the house?

Very few people (even real estate agents) are aware of the law. So they see the sidewalk, but they assume it's the city's responsibility. Then, years later, the city randomly (and it is randomly!) sends them a multi-thousand-dollar bill.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2015, 07:42:09 AM by Jack »

10dollarsatatime

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 703
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Utah
Re: Apparently there's no need to even try to put in a sidewalk anymore....
« Reply #30 on: February 01, 2015, 01:24:20 PM »
My BF lives in a city that requires the 3 feet off the street to either be a sidewalk (which the homeowner has to install) or landscaped, which usually just means weeds.  Why landscape something that people are just going to walk all over?  And you can get citations for just having dirt.  But then... this is the same kind of backward-ass city that issued him a ticket for planting tomatoes in his front flower bed, and told him that his backyard garden couldn't be visible from the street, even though it's at the very back corner of his property.

I don't have a sidewalk in front of my house, although there is one across the street.  I think the city is slowly making its way through my neighborhood putting them in.  Also.  My entire garden is in my front yard.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!