Sidewalks and Sideslopes

SIDEWALKS

Definitions:

- A paved walkway for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway.

- A usually paved walk for pedestrians at the side of a street (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, 10th Edition)

Where are sidewalks provided?

Sidewalks are used as integral parts of city streets, but few are provided in rural areas. Yet, a need exists in many rural areas because the higher speed and general absence of lighting increase the accident potential to those walking on or adjacent to the traveled way. The limited data available suggests that sidewalks in rural areas do reduce pedestrian accidents.

Sidewalks in rural and suburban areas are most justified at points of community development such as at schools, local businesses, and industrial plants that result in pedestrian concentrations near or along the highways. When suburban residential areas are developed, initial facilities for vehicles are necessary if the development is to function at all, but the construction of sidewalks are sometimes deferred. However, if pedestrian activity is anticipated, sidewalks should be an included part of the construction. Shoulders might obviate the need for sidewalks if they are of a type to encourage pedestrian use in all weather. If sidewalks are utilized, they should be separated from the shoulder. If the sidewalk is raised above the level of the shoulder, the cross section approaches that of an urban highway.

Specifications:

Sidewalks in residential areas may vary from 1.2 to 2.4 m (4 to 8 ft). The width of a planted strip between the sidewalk and traveled way curb, if provided, should be a minimum of 0.6 m (2 ft) to allow maintenance activities. Sidewalks covering the full border width are generally justified and often required in commercial areas, through adjoining multiple-residential complexes, near schools and other pedestrian generators, and where border width is restricted.

Where sidewalks are placed adjacent to the curb, the widths should be approximately 0.6 m (2 ft) wider than those widths used when a planted strip separates the walk and curb. This additional width provides space for roadside hardware and snow storage outside the width needed by pedestrians. It also allows for the proximity of moving traffic, the opening of doors of parked cars and bumper overhang on angled parking.

In suburban and urban locations, a border area generally separates the roadway from the homes and businesses of the community. The main function of the border is to provide space for sidewalks. Other functions of the border are to provide space for street lights, fire hydrants, street hardware, and aesthetic vegetation and to serve as a buffer strip. The width of border varies considerably, with 2.4 m (8 ft) considered a minimum. Swale ditches may be located in these borders to provide an economical alternative to curb and gutter sections.

Justification for the construction of sidewalks depends upon the vehicle-pedestrian conflict (which is governed chiefly by the volumes of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, their relative timing, and the speed of vehicular traffic). Traffic volume-pedestrian warrants for sidewalks along highways are not established. In general, wherever the roadside and land development conditions affect regular pedestrian movement along a highway, a sidewalk or path area, as suitable to the conditions, should be furnished.

As a general practice, sidewalks should be constructed along any street or highway not provided with shoulders, even though pedestrian traffic may be light. Where sidewalks are built along a high-speed highway, buffer areas should be established so as to separate them from the traveled way.

To insure their intended use, sidewalks should have all-weather surfaces. Without them,