Sloping Sidewalks Pester Pedestrians
Car-oriented sloping sidewalks are upsetting pedestrians in Toronto, and they have called on politicians to look for a way to give the city's sidewalks back to walkers.
"Sidewalk design has changed over the years. The city used to have a uniform curb and built a steep ramp at each driveway so vehicles could mount it. Now, the curb dips almost flush with the gutter at each driveway, and the sidewalk is sloped for its full width, or most of it."
"'This is just another sign of what a car-oriented society we have become – when sidewalks have become on-ramps,' says Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul's)."
"Mihevc argues the priorities are misplaced when a driveway ramp may be used only four times a day by a car, and the sidewalk by hundreds of pedestrians."
"Richard Nelson, of Toronto's pedestrian committee, agrees. The management consultant thinks the city has 'tolerable' standards for sidewalk design but, 'it seems that new construction often, if not always, violates that standard.'"
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A Step Toward Uselessness
That type of sidewalk is almost as good as no sidewalk. Most humans have legs of non-variable length; most of us are unable to lengthen our left leg when walking along the right side of a street with those curb cuts in the sidewalk's path. And most of us are unable to walk tilted at a 10° angle without falling.
On the other hand, maybe it's positive that homeowners gain 4 or 5 useless feet of grass and landscaping to add to their front setbacks because of the lack of planter strips?
Another Pedestrian Problem
In many areas people insist on parking their cars on the portion of the driveway that crosses the sidewalk. I live in an inner ring suburb, and some of my neighbors insist on doing this even when there is room in the driveway to pull in further, or an on street parking spot 25 feet away.
This creates a real problem for many handicapped, and people with small children in strollers. Add some snow, or mud, and there is no way to walk down the street.
I guess they just have an autocentric suburban mindset, that assumes the sidewalks are just for decoration.