Sidewalks: Necessary Infrastructure in Communities

In Wisconsin, the courts have ruled that since the shoulder is part of the highway by definition, pedestrians must walk on a shoulder facing traffic. A footnote in a jury instruction stated that a 'pedestrian walking on the right side of highway is negligent as a matter of law.' They also have the primary responsibility to avoid crashes. So, since pedestrians have no legal rights on shoulders or any other part of the street, other accommodations must be provided. In new development, sidewalks should be constructed on both sides of all streets, including cul-de-sacs. Although cul-de-sacs are allegedly designed to mitigate the negative impacts of cars on neighborhoods, these non-through streets should not negatively impact pedestrian travel. The pedestrian grid should be maintained through cul-de-sac connections. Long loop streets, should also have pedestrian connections at reasonable intervals (300 to 600 feet). These pedestrian connections are necessary to maintain a continuous route for pedestrian travel.

The local/neighborhood level street should be considered a shared space if intentionally designed without sidewalks. The street is not only where motor vehicles and bicycles travel, but also where pedestrians travel, where children play, and where adults and children socialize. All must have equal right to use this space, since no comparable separate public space has been set aside for the other uses. Such a street needs to be designed for its lowest common denominator, the pedestrian. The European term for this situation is a woonerf. The local street without sidewalks needs to be designed to send the message to the motorist that (s)he is a guest in this space, not the predator from which all others must run. If city planners, developers, and traffic engineers are not willing to build neighborhood streets as woonerfs, then they need to build sidewalks.

Higher functioning streets, collectors and arterials, are dangerous for pedestrians. Sidewalks are a necessity along these streets. It is also necessary to design these streets with frequent, safe, and convenient pedestrian crossings. A crosswalk is by definition the extension of a sidewalk across a street. One of the greatest impediments to encouraging more people to walk for transportation and one of the most frequent pedestrian complaints has to do with an inability to safely get across busy streets.

Transportation professionals receive requests from pedestrians to 'do something before someone gets killed.' These people are saying that they perceive a problem. However, planners may search through crash files and find that there are no data (i.e., crashes) to document a problem. What this lack of crash data may indicate is that most pedestrians have been intimidated from even trying to enter the intersection. Many pedestrians may feel compelled to drive in order to navigate the intersection, adding to motor traffic and limiting transportation options. Lack of crash data must not be the only criterion traffic engineers use to evaluate a complaint.

Similarly, at a recent meeting, the issue of education for urban bus drivers was raised. A look at crash data may reveal very few crashes involving local bus drivers and bicyclists, indicating little problem, according to one interpretation of the data. Yet if one interviewed 50 bicyclists and 50 bus drivers, a high level of animosity and disrespect between these two groups would be revealed. Is this a problem or not? Yes it is. Even if addressing this problem does not result in fewer crashes, injuries, and fatalities for bicyclists, it will lead to a better environment for both bicyclists and bus drivers in which to operate.