Daily WTF?

[swestrup]

It seems that Beaconsfield residents are opposing the creation of sidewalks in their communities. They cite them as an eyesore. Frankly I find the borderless lawns that lap against the roads in that area, as well as the uncovered drainage ditches that would be hidden by sidewalks, to be a far greater eyesore.

Comments

[skjalm.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe these fine folk feel that the red smear of trucksplattered pedestrians improves on the overall look and feel of their neighbourhood. Oh, wait... suburban USA... no pedestrian, I guess :-/

[swestrup]

Suburban Canada actually. And they do point out that there has never been any reported car/pedestrian accidents in the last 45 years, so they don't think that safety is an issue.

*I* think that no one walks there, period.

[skjalm.livejournal.com]

Which is a shame, really. Walking is good. And healthy for both the body and mind.

[sps.livejournal.com]

So there's some substance to the theory that people want their lives to be crappy. Or at least, that they never get as far as asking themselves, "what would life be like if someone did this thing that we are discussing."

[le-maistre-e.livejournal.com]

Hey I am a Beaconsfield resident, and this is the first I've heard of this. Frankly my street is too narrow or sidewalks, and I'm pleased they have them on Lakeshore Road, but hey, I can live without them.

[blacksquiggles.livejournal.com]

I'm in DDO and yep, we've learned to live without em. Trained the kids to walk on lawns years ago :)

[hendrikboom.livejournal.com]

And when the snow is deep?

[blacksquiggles.livejournal.com]

this is only an issue on our street and there are only two lawns before their bus stop...
as for sidewalks, bluehaven does have and people still need to walk on the street as they're rarely cleared, it's made no difference.

[pythonian.livejournal.com]

Well that is so you really CAN tell your kids/grandkids that you had to walk uphill through the snow both ways to get to and from school. :-)

[hendrikboom.livejournal.com]

I suspect those residents really just want to live on the cheap, and not have to be taxed to pay for the sidewalks.

[pythonian.livejournal.com]

Many streets in Beaconsfield and the neighbouring community Baie D'Urfé are genuinely too narrow for sidewalks. At best a few of those could manage one sidewalk but never two.

Then there is the issue raised in the article, one of "an urban-jungle concept that violates the essential character of our tranquil, green community". Local and community standards are acceptable criteria for proposing or countering legislation. Whether the majority still agree is up to the residents and nobody else.

Finally, there is the issue of septic tanks out there. I have no idea on what building sidewalks would do the access of someone's septic tank and its surrounding leaching ground.

As for the rest or the more developed areas, you might have a point.

[grimmwire.livejournal.com]

I'll bet these are the same people who say they moved to the suburbs because they wanted to raise their kids someplace safe. So of course they chose a place with no sidewalks and few streetlamps.