Paving tiles are so much easier to repair, pull & replace for utility work & #tree root care, and rearrange for new road layouts than #asphalt or #concrete.
Tiles are cheaper, can embed rather than spew #carbon, and provide drainage.
Photo next to #transit hub in #Lund #Sweden. White crosswalk pavers in arc of gray pavers. Smooth enough for #disability & #bike use. Perfect for #transit speed.
And pavers can hold the weight of a #bus.
#PavingTiles for the win!
@jeffbyrnes @dx @jamesbicycle Sweden is cold, clears snow effectively, and takes good care of the mobility of its people with disabilities.
Many central cities in Sweden are cobbled. I don't know specs of how 🇸🇪 snow clearing works but it worked quite well all thru the winter I lived there.
Swedish friends who worked in disability mobility told me these cobbled streets worked well for walking & rolling.
US cities may have a different standard of bumpy cobble that might not be as forgiving.
@CathyTuttle @dx @jamesbicycle great to hear! I live in Somerville, MA, USA, & one of our major gathering/commerce areas used a lot of brick when it was last rebuilt. That brick is not great, esp. for folks who roll primarily.
I’d love to advocate for something attractive like pavers that’s not anti-disability, so this is super helpful!
@jeffbyrnes @dx @jamesbicycle
Story about a city that doesn't deal w snow, but still relevant. #Pontevedra, an entirely car-free city center in western #Spain, is mostly streets made of stone and concrete pavers.
I walked around the center (population ~40,000) with chief city planner who says visitors often ask him why the city has so many people using #wheelchairs.
“We have the same numbers of #disabled people as any city,” he says. “But here ALL people can easily use our public streets.”
@CathyTuttle
Don't know re USA. The "dry cold" part of Canad. It was close to freezing 2-3 weeks ago then 10 days below -30°C, warmed up to -15 today. The snow sticks to the roads and walkways unless immediately removed. There are only a few places with bricks. Graders might remove some of them.
This is a grader in my city: http://i.cbc.ca/1.3336867.1448480290!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/snow-grader.JPG
@jeffbyrnes
Snow removal. And where the snow gets removed from first:
Typical: car routes for work commuting for proportionately more men
Equity: walking routes for children and proportionately more women who're taking the kids to school
Cathy Tuttle
dr jamesbicycle
🚲
Jeff Byrnes