Sidewalk Construction Material Transitions

In approximately 1990 the city of Swift Current replaced their concrete sidewalks downtown with paving stones. Before the end of one short winter those paving stones had shifted, heaved and cracked. This resulted in difficulty shoveling, tripping hazards, weed growth, and years of regular maintenance to maintain sidewalks that were about as safe as the cobblestone streets of old Montréal.

Moving forward in time there are numerous examples of mixed construction materials being placed side-by-side in designs planned by someone who obviously has no idea what our climate does to surfaces each yearly cycle of the weather. Above you can see an example of paving stone mixed with concrete at the Preston Crossing Shopping Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Yes, there is just enough room for my model to wheel on the concrete between the paving stones but those paving stones do cross the entire sidewalk in places with 4-6 cm ridges which require a slow crossing or to pop a wheelie over top as you roll, if you are physically capable of doing so. Should you be traveling beside someone, why should we always be expected to switch sides or interrupt our flow because of poor design? What if I want to wheel on the road side of the sidewalk to protect my wife, who is on my right, from oncoming traffic in a most chivalrous manner? The inward slope to the grating containing a tree, weeds, and sand is not too much of a problem now. However, when this centre was built those grates were hollow below the metal and wide enough to swallow a wheel from a wheelchair or a cart. This is dangerous and, as always my common argument is applicable, here as well, what about someone pushing a stroller?

This is an example of poor design that is mostly an inconvenience. It can be seen anywhere that concrete, paving stones or asphalt meet. The gaps, heaves and ridges after one or two winters take away most of the smooth function of surface transitions like these. All of the aesthetic qualities are removed, if not worse than if one material were used, and I question how many shovels, plow blades or snowblowers have been damaged trying to clear the snow on the above sidewalks.

Next week we will look at something that is outright dangerous. I've shared about the helpfulness of properly made, maintained and implemented curb cuts. This time we will look at a failed design and failed maintenance that exceeds the inconvenience shown in this post and moves to an unexpected hazard.

Solution: Those organizations charged with the duty of informing designer and planners need to get the information in the right hands, including city officials who can prevent exclusionary designs like this from ever being made in the first place. Stamped concrete is a more costly material but has much greater longevity than paving stones, if aesthetics are insisted upon.