Today i’m writing about narrow sidewalks. When it comes to the width of sidewalks it should be wide enough for at least one wheelchair and some but did you know the standard width is much wider than that. The standard width range is 1.5 to 1.8 meters.
“The City’s Universal Design Standards state that sidewalks should be a minimum width of 1.5 metres. Today, 93% of sidewalks in Winnipeg are at least 1.5 metres (or more) in width, however, approximately 7% of sidewalks (or 175 linear kilometres) are narrower than the 1.5 metre requirement. Most of these narrow sidewalks are located in Winnipeg’s older neighbourhoods“ – City of Winnipeg Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies 2014
Areas that I came across when traveling in my wheelchair:
Archibald Street by Tim Hortons – Pretty much had to go through the drive through to get around.
Archibald Street by Tim Hortons – Pretty much had to go through the drive through to get around
St. Mary’s Rd at Fifth Ave by Guay Park – Felt way too close for my comfort
St. Mary’s Rd at Enfield Crescent by Nelson McIntyre Collegiate – So close my foot rest was over hanging on the road when turning
Although some of this sidewalks are at the standard width but in some cases that’s not enough when the sidewalk is right beside the road like on St. Mary’s with vehicles zooming by at 60 km/h can be scary. Another thing is some sidewalks have bushes or trees that make a normal sidewalk width less then half the width.
St. Mary’s Road by Mager Dr
Winnipeg's Sidewalks & Crosswalks 