By Tim Schaefer, Sunnyside Resident
Every so often, a great innovation in design emerges that is so simple and effective you wonder why it wasn't thought of before! For those of us who have begun to travel again, the roller-bag is a great example that comes to mind. For years we lugged heavy suitcases on our travels and then in the 1990’s luggage design changed to a more upright design with wheels underneath and a handle to pull on top; and we’ve never looked back!
The same could be said with the innovative urban design concept of “Continuous Sidewalks”. This idea effectively takes the existing idea of a crosswalk and innovatively combines it with a speed bump. The result is a table-top style traffic-calming obstacle that slows vehicles down where people who are walking are most vulnerable; where they cross the street!
Photo of Continuous Sidewalk with bump outs on 3 Ave SE in Chinatown, Calgary.
Some may call this type of infrastructure “Raised Crosswalks” but the use of the Continuous Sidewalk term is preferred because it sets a different tone; Continuous Sidewalk implies that it’s the sidewalk that continues (not the road) and instead it’s the vehicle traffic that is crossing over the pedestrian’s space.
The use of Continuous Sidewalks is widespread on residential streets in the Netherlands; they are found everywhere! Before you catch yourself saying “Yes, that’s nice but we don’t live in Europe…”, did you know Continuous Sidewalks have begun to appear in North America in the last decade? Several can even be found in Calgary!
The Calgary Airport Authority was one of the first to employ this urban design feature. Continuous Sidewalks can be found on numerous streets on the authority’s land and at the airport terminal. Just like elsewhere in Calgary, these streets are maintained in the winter and even Calgary Transit operates busses on them. Snow and busses are often cited as excuses as to why Continuous Sidewalks or other speed bumps can’t be done; clearly it is possible!
Closer to home, Hillhurst Sunnyside residents who walk up to the top of McHugh Bluff will have noticed Continuous Sidewalks along Crescent Road NW. This road has had problems in recent years with people driving too fast and Continuous Sidewalks made of asphalt can be found at numerous points along this street.
Further into Rosedale, students attending Rosedale School will know there is a Continuous Sidewalk located at the intersection of 13 Ave and 8 St NW, directly in front of their school (see video link here). This particular example has some other great safety features including curb bump-outs with bollards. These additional safety features protect people from curb defying impatient drivers of trucks and SUVs who may attempt to cut corners.