Putting Pedestrians On Equal Footing With Drivers

As a change of pace, I thought it would be interesting to begin adding short videos to much shorter posts than I have been writing so far. I conceive of these new posts as small lessons on single issues relating specifically to the design of Bethlehem streets from the perspective of a pedestrian. Don’t get me wrong: I am likely to write some days about larger issues that may or may not specifically pertain to Bethlehem, but I will always try to make sure that these larger rantings are connected in some way to these new short vignettes. Please don’t expect a new video or new subject every day, but you can be certain that at least one or two a week will be posted… until I decide to change pace again. Finally, I’m a writer, not a photographer nor a news anchor. My videos are not intended to be of the best quality, and my voice isn’t supposed to be catchy or interesting. The videos are intended to supplement my writings, which are meant to be the interesting part (easy for me to say, I know). That being said, I apologize in advance for the crappy videos and hope you can give me some constructive criticism… or recommend someone that can do them for me!

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I first want to talk about the design of sidewalk corner curbs at intersection crossings. Please watch the following video of a Bethlehem intersection to gain a clearer understanding of what I am referring to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwPpuPfkjss&feature=player_profilepage

There are two basic opposing design philosophies: squared edge and round edge. Now, these are not exclusive categories but have varying degrees of each, ranging from 90 degree angles to completely semi-circular. A squared curb does the best job at putting pedestrians and drivers on as equal footing (pun not intended) as possible. The pedestrian has the obvious right-of-way when crossing the street, and drivers must slow down, almost to a stop, to negotiate the turn, even if no pedestrians are present. Square intersection curbs are widely-recognized urban features. A round curb, as the video depicts, gives the advantage squarely to the motorist. Pedestrians must walk farther to cross from one side to the other, and drivers hardly need to apply pressure to the breaks to make the turn. Rounded curb corners can be extremely dangerous for pedestrians attempting to cross them because drivers are able to take the corner at relatively high speeds. If the driver is distracted and doesn’t notice the pedestrian, there is more momentum and less time to stop when taking a rounded corner rather than a square one. As you can imagine, rounded curbs are prominent in standard suburban areas.

At the risk of slightly contradicting myself, I do have to mention a third type of corner curb design: the extended corner curb. This type of corner extends the sidewalk and narrows the street at each intersection. This decreases pedestrian crossing distances even more while requiring vehicles to take turns even slower. This is more of a New Urban, or neo-traditional, feature that does not often appear in traditionally designed cities, such as Bethlehem. If a city’s goal is to increase walkability, pedestrian trips, and safety, installing extended corners is a superior way of altering the environment to meet that goal.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/502590159_a35c2dd97c.jpg
A corner curb that extends toward the right side of the photograph.