They think protecting drivers cars from scratches is more important than protecting pedestrians from getting hit, so they make the sidewalk part of the “clear zone”
Physical design is not neutral.
Physical design is an expression of our values.
They think protecting drivers cars from scratches is more important than protecting pedestrians from getting hit, so they make the sidewalk part of the “clear zone”
Physical design is not neutral.
Physical design is an expression of our values.
Right, but a mower isn’t going to go on the other side of a guardrail to clear it, and people aren’t going to walk there if it’s all overgrown.
I don’t see any reason it couldn’t? Sidewalks require maintenance. If we choose not to maintain them then they won’t be usable. The guardrail is barely relevant to that.
Have you seen how a roadside mower works? Because a guardrail between the walkway and the road would definitely impede that. And then for ada compliance, you’d need to make sure the rails are finished on both sides, and there are sufficient gaps at the crosswalks and curb cuts. And, you’d still need some sort of protection on the ledge side to prevent people from falling down into the bushes.
I mean, yeah, unlimited budget and effort, you could make that walkway much better. You could pave the whole thing and level the ground so there is no ditch and no trees. Plant some gardens for pollinators, and put in a water feature to keep things cool. Build a playground and one of those moving walkway conveyors they have at airports. Ice cream and blowjobs for everyone, while we’re at it.
The way it is now protects cars and people from the ditch, and is easy and cheap to maintain. Hardly any sidewalks anywhere have guardrails along the curb to protect pedestrians, because most pedestrians are hit where they cross the street. Even if a car jumped the curb and hit the rail, it’s unlikely people would be standing in that exact spot, and how often does that happen anyway?
If you want to improve the walkability shown in the picture, you’d do better putting in more crosswalks, signals, signs, and stops to permit pedestrians to cross the street more safely.
They could definitely design a mower that is able to reach over the guard rail. We could also just send a different mower to do the gaurd rail sections.
When your response is “we could design a different mower” I think you’ve answered why it’s on the side it’s on. Yes, I agree, in a perfect world we could. But the people deciding what side the guard rails go on are not the people deciding what mowers look like, nor do they have the sort of power to do that.
They could just send a crew out with a regular mower. Im also nearly certain ive seen a mower on a tractor reaching over guardrails on a highway before.
That guard rail is there because the book told the designers to put it there and thinkkng outside the book hasn’t been allowed for decades in road planning, its all cut and paste.
Of course they have those. They could have a guy go out with scissors, or replace all the grass with marshmallows and replace them daily when the animals eat them. Good for jobs, good for the animals, and good for me, the municipal marshmallow supplier!
Mowing is like one small part of it, and this configuration allows it to be done with any equipment.
Has anyone been struck by a car here? Have any car accidents happened here at all? What’s the speed limit on the road? Is it near a school or a park or a playground for blind children? Putting a safety rail between the sidewalk and the road is inconvenient for many reasons. Of course it can be done, and safety is always going to be inconvenient.
It was inconvenient to put a rail on the far side of the sidewalk. They did it because the need for safety outweighed the inconvenience of it. Cars and pedestrians could fall down the hill, and it would make accidents worse.
I mean, what are we even talking about? Having a second guardrail would make the sidewalk harder to navigate, and would obstruct the view of drivers turning the corner looking for people crossing the street. The most obvious need is for a crosswalk and additional signage.