Village Trivia
Where Did the Sidewalk Go?
By Brian J. Pape, AIA
The city administration has gotten serious about protecting the clear pedestrian pathways on our city sidewalks. The new permanent outdoor dining regulations clearly stipulate what width must be maintained without any obstructions, even temporary ones like sandwich advertising boards, chairs, tables, or planters. Slowly, the city’s businesses are adapting to the rules.
What is no surprise to anyone who spends time in the West Village is that our streets and sidewalks do not conform to those in other parts of the city.
Case in point, on this city street shown above, trees have been planted at the curb, with some tree pits getting protective barriers around them, and others with pavers at sidewalk level. The new regulation for sidewalk clearances does not differentiate between what is placed around the trees, defining a tree pit as the area of a sidewalk opening of any kind.
So, here is an actual example of a tree pit that takes up the entire sidewalk. How did the city allow this to happen? Who would consider this to be careful planning? Who would consider a tree as more important than a sidewalk, to force people to walk into the roadway?
Do you know where this dilemma occurs? See below for answer.
On Bedford Street, not only is the street very narrow with one lane of parking and one lane of traffic, but the sidewalk, what little there is of it, is only about 5 feet wide in a few places.
At 67 Bedford, that minimal sidewalk is reduced to virtually nothing. While other tree pits have barriers and plantings around the trees, here there are only pavers, more or less flush with the sidewalk. That is because there is no sidewalk left after the small tree pit is inserted. You have a choice of walking in the roadway (good luck!) or walking in the tree pit! Pity the poor trees.
It’s not much better at the adjacent tree pits, which have barriers and plantings; that leaves only a foot or so for walking! The new city standards for the size of tree pits are now more than twice the area of older tree pits like these.
Something’s got to give.
