Greater City Providence

Can you tell what is missing from this photo?

nosidewalk

Shoveled sidewalk? Close.

No sidewalk at all? Bingo!

This is outside the Old Public Safety Building Memorial Parking LotTM in LaSalle Square. You have a Jersey Barrier with cars parked right up against the inside of the barrier, and cars driving right up against the outside of the barrier, and pedestrians… well pedestrians are just sh!t out of luck.

The Jersey Barrier is in line with the curb at either end, so pedestrians would walk inside the barriers with the barriers between them and the street. Which would be a quite sensible set up, an even more sensible set up would be having an actual sidewalk! With nothing to prevent the parked cars from parking right up against the barrier, cars park right up against the barrier and pedestrians have no choice but to walk in traffic. Very highspeed traffic that whips through LaSalle Square.

Now even if the cars weren’t parked up against the barriers and there was a path clear for pedestrians, there is no curb cut at the west end of the barriers, so wheelchairs would be sh!t out of luck, which makes me reiterate above, an actual sidewalk would be nice.

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

2 comments

  • I can’t imagine that that’s up to code. Oh wait, I guess there isn’t code for “temporary” parking lots, huh?

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