A Redditor encountered some truly frustrating public infrastructure in their hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had to share some evidence of it to "r/Suburbanhell."
"Was craving Noodles and Company so I took a 40 minute walk into the shopping centers," wrote the original poster, alongside a photo of an incredibly short stretch of sidewalk.
Proper infrastructure remains a major barrier to walkable cities. Without dedicated walkways, pedestrians face all sorts of risks from motorists. A pedestrian is three times more likely to be in an accident per mile along roadways with no sidewalks compared to those with sidewalks. With risks like these, cities with fewer sidewalks naturally have fewer pedestrians. This is a tragedy, as walking is great for public health and even produces some economic benefits.
The biggest impact of walking is on emissions reduction. It is the cleanest form of transportation out there, though it depends on supporting infrastructure. The more we can reduce dependence on cars of any kind, the less atmospheric pollution we produce, which in turn tamps down destructive weather patterns, ocean acidification, and melting ice caps.
Despite the ridiculously short sidewalk shown, the original poster actually appreciates most of Lancaster's walkability, lauding its downtown core. The city has a Walk Score of 99 out of 100, which is about as good as you can get. The city is actively engaged in a project called Vision Zero, which aims to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety across Lancaster. Reddit commenters still couldn't help but pipe up about walkability in cities overall.
"We're a country of psychotic resource-wasters who are armed to the teeth just in case someone walks on your grass and who need armored bro-dozers just to take the kids to school," said one community member.
"Think the issue is lack of diverse housing options in the U.S. Unless you're well-off, your affordable housing options are s***** apartment in the ghetto or soul-sucking suburbia. No options for middle-class families that want walkable neighborhoods," said another.
"It's so infuriating. Especially when it's a super old sidewalk (so you can't even use the 'we plan to expand it later' bs argument," chimed in another.
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