8 MAJOR ROADBLOCKS TO INCLUSIVE STREETS

 THE BAFFLING BLOCKADE

Sidewalks have been shrinking since the automobile came on the scene, while perils for pedestrians have been increasing.

According to a 2020 Bloomberg Citylab article, "current sidewalk deficiencies have accumulated over decades of neglect.

In the pre-automotive era, many cities had far more space for pedestrians," said Arlie Adkins, a professor of urban planning at the University of Arizona.

"Since the 1920s we've seen this explosion of driving, and there's been a competition for fairly scarce real estate."

"There's only so much space between buildings, and we've made some clear choices about how that should be distributed," he told Citylab.

When an already too-narrow sidewalk is obstructed, it's a recipe for disaster, especially for wheelchair users.

Sidewalks are frequently dotted with speed limit, no parking, and school crossing signs.

Huge poles supporting traffic lights and street lights take their chunk out, too, while junction boxes, clusters of utility vaults, and broken or sagging tree grates impede accessibility.

And street trees and planters are great, but not when they turn an otherwise sufficiently wide thoroughfare into a pinch-point-impacted slalom course.

Beyond the obvious of not allowing such obstructions in the newly built sidewalks, planners can push for the creation of a clearinghouse for sidewalk data that tracks the dozens of agencies and entities with a stake in the right of way (ROW).

That way, the county pole, the business improvement district's street furniture, and the community redevelopment agency's wayfinding kiosk don't block the state department of transportation's sidewalk.