![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It’s a mistake to generalize that all 20th century residential subdivisions omitted sidewalks or that the failure to install them was part of some larger, mysterious anti-pedestrian agenda. Not all neighborhoods of that era lack sidewalks. Like so many personal preferences, there’s no right or wrong, but there’s also very little room for persuasion. I’m not sure they really knew what rural meant - Palisades certainly isn’t rural - I think they were looking for a word that meant non-urban and that was the best they could come up with. People even used the adjective “rural” to describe our neighborhood. What surprised me was how many people expressed the viewpoint that sidewalks actually detract from a neighborhood. Landowners who would lose part of their front yard were predictably opposed. ![]() Some of the arguments were expected: there are people who never walk, who don’t see any utility to sidewalks. My neighborhood, Palisades, had a protracted debate about adding sidewalks on a neighborhood street, University Terrace. Retaining a “country” or “rural” feel might not sound like a compelling reason to prevent the installation of sidewalks to most, but it is for some. There are many 1930’s era neighborhoods in and around Silver Spring which still lack curbs of any kind, much less sidewalks (Hillandale, North Hills of Sligo, and parts of Woodside come to mind). When the county installed curbs about 10 years ago, sone people complained that the curbs changed the “character” of those streets, and several think that sidewalks would make it worse. The streets in my neighborhood close to University Boulevard and Colesville Road were built in the mid-1930’s with no sidewalks or curbs (these streets comprised the original development anchored by the country club). My neighborhood and several others nearby were once anchored by Indian Springs Country Club, so you can imagine that the clientele originally buying homes around here were doing so to escape the city and its associated “urban” infrastructure like curbs and sidewalks. See Dead End, page 16.Ī reason I’ve heard people in my neighborhood (Woodmoor in Four Corners) use for opposing sidewalks was the preservation of the “rural” feel of the neighborhood. The original reason for not building sidewalks in suburban neighborhoods was to give the development a “high-class” non-urban image by discouraging walking. Falls are the leading cause of death from injuries for persons over the age of 65.īen Ross gives some historical perspective on why neighborhoods might not have them: Falling or tripping on poorly maintained sidewalks is a serious concern for the elderly, especially the frail, for whom one accident could be devastating. According to the National Complete Streets Coalition, “Pedestrian crashes are more than twice as likely to occur in places without sidewalks streets with sidewalks on both sides have the fewest crashes.” I think the reference for this is from the Federal Highway Administration.įrom another angle, and with a particular focus on the aging, sidewalks may increase residents’ perception of safety. ![]()
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