I propose a system of gradual public education that will encourage pedestrian traffic to travel near the edges of sidewalks as a habit. This will accomplish many things over time, but the main goal is to prevent grass and weeds from growing onto the sidewalk.

Sidewalks surrounded by grass usually need to be trimmed with an edger to keep the grass and weeds from growing over the edge of the sidewalk (I hate doing that because my edger never works right). If pedestrians walk near the edges instead of down the middle of sidewalks, the grass will be trained over time to NOT grow onto the sidewalk. This would save the countless hours of frustration and the gallons of fossil fuels that are currently wasted in edgers to maintain sidewalks.

To educate the public, a campaign similar to the 'Just Say No' campaign in the US will need to be implemented. Children will learn from an early age that they should 'Just Walk Near the Edge!', and there will be a 'grass-free class of 20XX'.
-- eauto, Jun 29 2004

People walking down the middle of the sidewalk doesn't seem to deter the grass/weeds from growing up between the cracks in the sidewalk... Plus, this would result in a generation of children that would only walk in single file lines, which would just be creepy.

Welcome to the HB. I like the spirit of this idea, but I can't bring myself to vote for it.
-- luecke, Jun 29 2004


That's because there's already that crazy 'don't step on the crack' superstition! Thanks - Glad to be here
-- eauto, Jun 29 2004


Um, what's wrong with grass growing on the sidewalk...? In fact, what's wrong with simply walking on grass instead of the sidewalk?
-- DrCurry, Jun 29 2004


Walking on the grass repeatedly will kill it - that's the whole point ;) Besides without a path we wouldn't go anywhere.
-- eauto, Jun 29 2004


Um? What's wrong with walking on the cracks in the pavement?. So long as you count them and 'even them up' on both feet so that your are correctly 'balanced'.
I'll get me coat!.
-- gnomethang, Jun 29 2004


Everyone knows that walking on grass inevitably leads to walking on crack and other 'hard' surfaces.
-- chud, Jun 29 2004


If the squares were only rotated every so often, random walks would suffice.
-- dpsyplc, Jun 29 2004


If everyone walked on the right edge relative to thier direction of travel, we'd get useful traffic separation. Alternatively you could go the whole hog like they do in Oxford Street in London every Christmas and have one pavement for one direction and the one on the other side of the road for the other.
-- oneoffdave, Jun 30 2004



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