Sidewalks are installed by the City as an afterthought. They are simply glued to the side of the curb on the assumption that if the road geometry is good for cars, it’s perfect for pedestrians. There is little consideration given to pedestrian origin or desires. And certainly no thought is wasted considering the pedestrian experience when actually using those sidewalks.
The picture shown above illustrates the dire predicament faced by pedestrians in the city. The spray of water-borne salt, grime, and muck is visible on clean snow, as shown above. But it is present year round, it’s just that there is no clean snow to illustrate the spray pattern in spring, summer, or fall.
Given the contempt with which we treat pedestrians, it’s a wonder that there are any pedestrians at all.
We humans want to walk. We are built to walk. It’s good for our health (so much so it is now branded as active transportation). Maybe we are car-free by choice or economic circumstances. We are fortunate that so many streets in Ottawa are sort-of complete, ie with sidewalks.
The scene shown above does have a redeeming feature. It shows one of the very rare situations in Ottawa where the sidewalk is set back from the curb. It is also about 18″ higher than the curb, which promotes drainage and improves subjective safety by elevating pedestrians.
This pleasant sidewalk (actually, it’s a MUP – multiuse path — open to cyclists and pedestrians) may not be around much longer. The City is studying the reconstruction of Albert Street this year. This will involve widening the road for some blocks (mostly between Empress and Preston). This may reduce the boulevard between the curb and the walk, which will in turn reduce the buffer zone that makes the walk pleasant, and will result in the sidewalk being lowered to curb height again. This is, of course, is part of the City’s attempt to encourage transit use and active transportation.
The sidewalk path along the north side of Albert and Scott Streets illustrates what we should be doing much more of. But alas, when planning the reconstruction of Carling Avenue, where there is abundant space on the south side to install several kilometres of MUP from Madawaska Drive to Island Park, the City intends to install only a few sections of concrete sidewalk tightly glued to the curb line. What could and should be a minor joint exercise among the City, NCC, and Farm, instead is not evaluated because it is too “complicated” to consider.
The City will, however, spend similar amounts on advertising advocating that we walk. If we dare.
4 comments
Thank you for publishing such a great post.
I used that path quite a bit this past summer and it’s really quite nice. The trees lining both sides of the path already provide quite a bit of shade (which should only improve as they mature — so long as they survive the salty muck).
Although there are not a whole lot of people on that path now, as the Lebreton flats development continues it will no doubt be a popular choice for thousands of new tenants who will be actively transporting themselves downtown.
And there is no contest between biking on Scott Street and biking on the pathway from the west end, until of course you reach the end of the path and the start of the sidewalk and have to manoeuvre into the downtown core…Great post is right.
Design should be done by people who use the thing designed. My mother used to complain about this one kitchen appliance she had – she was always injuring herself on a poorly placed handle – and she’d say, each time, “it must have been designed by a man”, meaning, someone who never used it. That’s the olden days but the premise is still true.
Great post, Eric.
I don’t understand why Albert needs to be widened. To encourage more car traffic? I haven’t seen that goal that in any planning docs.
This path is too fantastic to lose. Hardy anyone uses the substandard sidewalk on the south side of Albert … we’re all enjoying sidewalk heaven on this path. My young daughter loves it because she doesn’t have to hold my hand and there’s no danger of being sprayed by passing cars (yes, this has happened to both of us). Even better is when we go down the remaining strip of old Wellington (a car-free street!).
I also use this path when cycling, especially when I’m pulling my daughter in the bike trailer.
If we want more people to live within the Greenbelt, don’t we have to make living within the Greenbelt more pleasant? Let’s tame the traffic sewers, not expand them.