CAC Crowdsourced Climate Implications
Public Works, Transportation
Crowdsourced effort February 2023
NA
Executive summary
Background Information
- Sidewalks play a vital role in community life. As conduits for pedestrian movement and access, they enhance connectivity and promote walking.
- As public spaces, sidewalks serve as the front steps to the community, activating streets socially and economically.
- Safe, accessible, and well-maintained sidewalks are a fundamental and necessary investment for communities and have been found to enhance general public health and maximize social capital.
Climate implications
High-Level Questions
- If the neighbourhood doesn’t want to have a sidewalk installed, then can the road be turned into a multi-use road with communication/signage/paint identifying the road as a place for all users regardless of their mode of travel? What are the accessibility implications of a multi-use road?
- How is this sidewalk installation aligned/misaligned with the Complete Streets policy/framework for the municipality?
- What impacts will the sidewalk installation have on trees in the right of way? What measures have been identified to ensure replanting and maintaining trees towards the municipality’s tree canopy, shade and carbon sink targets? Are there going to be requirements/standards for the soil depth alongside sidewalks to support tree growth?
- Can the sidewalk installation increase salt usage in that sidewalks are salted differently than roads. Now two surfaces have to be salted.
- Can waste heat be used to melt the snow on sidewalks? Sidewalks increase maintenance/clearing/equipment costs for the municipality. This may be a benefit to a district energy system that can reduce snow clearing costs? May be worth exploring other non-traditional benefits to district energy systems.
- Need to consider different types of sidewalk infrastructure/design. Some sidewalks are also multi-use paths. And if it is a multi-use path style there is the need to address potential/likely conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists, etc.
- Is there the potential to use permeable pavement/concrete in the sidewalk installation to not lose permeable surfaces within the municipality? How about the use of Low Impact Development (LID) to maintain permeable surfaces and how much precipitation is handled on site?
- Has the use of recycled aggregate/low carbon concrete been considered? Is it being used? If not, why not?
- Has grading related to ice formation been considered? (does a sidewalk installation increase the risks of falls?). There have been some instances of unintended consequences related to downspout disconnects pooling at sidewalks. May increase the value proposition for permeable surface use on sidewalks and reduce fall risks and liability risks to municipalities.
Climate Opportunities
- Sidewalks are a critical component of creating connected and accessible neighbourhoods and communities.
- Sidewalk installations can be prioritized based on where there is a destination that the neighbourhood can walk to (such as a road without sidewalks that takes you to a school, playground, community centre, etc).
- Sidewalks are a critical infrastructure to help people access public transit.
- Installation of sidewalks creates a connection system that better enables residents to travel through their community safely and conveniently thereby potentially increasing the modal split for active transportation. Increasing the modal split of trips that can be undertaken via active transportation is critical to reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector. Creating a safe and interconnected pedestrian and cycling network is critical to moving SOV use towards active transportation modes.
- Sidewalks are a critical infrastructure to help people access public transit.
Climate Risks
- Sidewalk installations have often been challenging for communities as local residents can often not be in support of sidewalk installations. Concerns raised include the concern related to removing permeable surfaces and making them impermeable via concrete surfaces. The potential loss of trees in the to be installed sidewalk right of way are also often a concern.
- Loss of permeable surfaces and tree canopy cover
- Loss of gardens
- Loss of permeable spaces
- Reduces area for trees or damages trees
- Trees plunked into shallow pits with lack of assured watering (especially during drought conditions) are pitiful tokens. The city needs to ensure watering –perhaps more public fountains that afford access to water are needed
- Sidewalks are not durable enough, constant repairs
- Potential loss of shops from [the] lengthy construction phase and decreased foot traffic/business. Subsequent construction within [a] shop for [a] new shop owner to take over and associated environmental resources used during said construction
- Sidewalks are in the wrong locations and do not optimize active transportation use
- If [there] is no sidewalk, can the road be made into a multi-use road?
- When conditions of black ice arise, the City must apply sand/salt, and structure these precarious locations for minimal danger of slipping/falling. The city should inspect for ‘dangerous’ downspouts that result in meltwater draining over sloped side