(Inspired by kmlabs' "lay rubber sheeting down over the roads" premise for "Inner City Congestion Bumper Cars" - see link)
Anyone who has been on the travelators at the airport will know how much fun it is to run down them, a pleasingly large spring in your step. If the pavements were rubberised, not only would the walk from the station to the office be great fun, but the ensuing skipping/ running/ pogoing would undoubtedly burn more calories than the minimum-upper-body-motion, no-eye-contact slouching most people undergo on their daily commute, leaving people full of pep when they start work, and a little bit fitter in the long term.
There would of course be a paved strip alongside the bouncy lane for users of wheelchairs, sticks, pushchairs etc, and spoilsports.
[edit - title changed from "Trampoline pavement". The first airport travelator I ever went on was emblazoned with the Dunlop logo across its surface, hence the new name.]-- friendlyfire, May 08 2003 Inner City Congestion Bumper Cars http://www.halfbake...ion_20Bumper_20Carskmlabs' debut. [friendlyfire, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] Baked! http://www.guardian...allation-fast-track [hippo, Dec 04 2012] trampoline path in Copenhagen http://i.imgur.com/rFbFBWY.jpg [xaviergisz, May 31 2014] +. That would get me walking (bouncing?) to work...if they'd install showers at the office.-- Guncrazy, May 08 2003 croissant for including us spoilsports!-- ato_de, May 08 2003 What about doggy doodoo? Accidently bounce too hard next to one and it could get messy...-- silverstormer, May 08 2003 There's a running path near my house that is rubberized -- made mostly of ground up rubber tires. It gives you quite a nice spring, but it's somewhat short of a trampoline.-- pluterday, May 08 2003 A cool idea, and a croissant for allowing me to picture myself bouncing down the way. Financially prohibitive, though. Can you find a way to put that sping under my feet without having to rebuild the pavement? Allow me to spring, Tigger-like, wherever whim whisks me?-- dwang, May 08 2003 Matrix Scene - teaching Neo about the matrix and jumping from building to building..-- mahatma, May 08 2003 Ah yes, our four-legged brethren - good point, silverstormer. Hmm...<stroke chin thoughtfully>
As long as the pavement is in use, a dog would not have enough time to (ahem) make toilet without being knocked aside by a joyfully oblivious and satisfyingly sweaty pavement-pounder. I'm not sure what might be done during quiet periods, except to rely on responsible dog ownership.
I've just had a mental image of dog and owner, bouncing along in unison, Pepe Le Pew-style. Heh.
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dwang, I don't think we would have to rebuild the pavement completely - in some circumstances, the rubber track could simply be laid atop existing paving, and in others only the top paving slabs need be removed, which could be used elsewhere with minimum fuss. I have no idea how much two-inch thick rolls of rubber cost per mile, compared to paving slabs (or patterned brickwork in nicer town centres).-- friendlyfire, May 08 2003 The (pattern brickwork) comment leads me to another potential commercialization. Every small town is looking for a way to bring outside tourists in to spend money - perhaps an entire town could use this instead of pattern brickwork, and advertise the fun!-- dwang, May 08 2003 The trampoline pavement could make crosswalks obsolete, depending on how high you bouce and if there are any power lines obstructing your path.-- -lines-, May 08 2003 Wow, fame at last! Cool idea. Think of the bedlam an out of control car would cause though: Instead of swerving across the road and hitting a lamppost, you could bounce off a kerb and land... anywhere! Maybe we need rubber cars too? Love the Pepe le Pew image too =)-- kmlabs, Jul 14 2003 more fun, but it's going to get frustrating with all the in-between bounces slowing people down (if you've ever bounced on a trampoline with other people you know what I'm talking about)-- oxen crossing, Jul 14 2003 [kmlabs] Rubber pavements, I imagine, would massively decrease vehicle stopping times, as described by the following equation I just made up: rubber + rubber = (mad freaky traction)
[mr_imagonna] The pavement in my mind would not be a trampoline proper, just a very bouncy surface. Admittedly, the title "Trampoline pavement" may have been rather misleading in this regard, so I will change it.-- friendlyfire, Jul 18 2003 Just thought of something else... Doesn't everything have a specific frequency? Once you get someone walking / jogging / hopping / whatever at the pavement's specific frequency then things get very interesting for everyone else!
Still gets a croissant, though. I'm just off to buy some knee and elbow protectors...-- kmlabs, Jul 25 2003 Yes, the title worked well for the brand name, but now that I'm running Pirelli Sport Demons we'll need to think about alternatives.-- normzone, Jun 01 2014 random, halfbakery