Monday, March 28, 2016

Useful Information About Concrete Sidewalks

By Donna Gibson


A sidewalk refers to that path that is often constructed along the sides of the road. In other countries such as Australia, South Africa, and Britain, it also goes by several other names including pavement, footway, and footpath. Curbs are used to separate concrete sidewalks from the vehicular section of the road. In some cases, a median strip or a road verge is used to separate the footpath from the roadway or to demarcate its boundary on the other side.

The use of the term sidewalk is more prevalent and preferred in the various states of the US including Washington. On the other hand, in the British counties, the term pavement is preferred while in Commonwealth nations, footpath wins. The civil engineering societies and legal systems of various countries have different definitions for sidewalks.

The history of sidewalks is a long one and it started in the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece. Evidence indicates that Corinth had paved footpaths by the fourth century. Semitas were specialists in construction of footways in the Roman Empire. The Act for Colchester was one of the earliest efforts to build dedicated paths for pedestrians. Such efforts were in existence going back in 1623 but were less effective.

The great fire of London prompted authorities to start making laws that brought order in the streets as the city was being rebuilt. It became a requirement within the law for all streets to be paved adequately. The most commonly used paving material at the time was Pubeck stone. Installation of bollards protected pedestrians from motorized traffic. Owners of adjoining properties in the US thus were under the obligation to fund the building of the sidewalk whether they approved of its existence or not.

There are several benefits associated with the existence of sidewalks. The first benefit is that they play a very significant role in transportation because they allow pedestrians to travel safely while being separated from motorized traffic. They increase safety. In most cases, both sides of the road are constructed with a sidewalk to allow more room for movement. This is true especially in places where pedestrian traffic is much higher than motorized traffic.

Pathways also lead to reduced environmental carbon dioxide emissions. The number of miles travelled by vehicles is cut as more people choose to walk. Although the contributions are small, they have been found to amount to an 8 percent decrease in carbon dioxide emission in locations where pavements have been installed.

Populations that have access to pavements also have improved general health. People in paved neighborhoods jog more often and prefer to walk to places. Such physical activity reduces the levels of obesity and heart diseases among other health issues that result from sedentary lifestyle. In addition, the level of concentration in children that walk to school is higher than those that do not.

Pathways in modern times are constructed using various materials. Concrete is the most preferred material in the whole of North America, while asphalt, stone, tarmac, rubber, and slab tend to be used on a large scale in Europe. Brick and wood were very popular a few years back.




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