Roads are cambered so that water drains to both the right and left edges, meaning that when drains are blocked, (which often happens) water floods and pedestrians get soaked by passing cars (sometimes deliberately).
With Reverse Camber Roads the drains are placed along the centre line of the road, both sides of which now slope gently inwards towards them. This results in any flooding being kept well clear of pedestrians.
This saves someone like me throwing a brick (in my imagination) through the rear window of the car that delivered about a hundred gallons of filthy water over me recently.-- xenzag, Feb 23 2016 [+] until I can figure out why this is a dumb idea.
{edit: okay but you'd have to limit it to boulevards wth wide medians]-- FlyingToaster, Feb 23 2016 No, having been maliciously splashed by some clowns driving curb puddles next to pedestrian, I think free enroute carwashes are a good idea.-- normzone, Feb 23 2016 I think the problem would be ice. You don't want to spin 'into' traffic.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 24 2016 Cars would naturally drift to the center. A bad thing.-- bs0u0155, Feb 24 2016 //Cars would naturally drift to the center. A bad thing.// So with "normal" cambering cars naturally drift towards pedestrians?-- xenzag, Feb 24 2016 Yes, it's called "natural selection" ...
A central drain would be much more difficult to access for cleaning than one at the edge as it would mean stopping all traffic.-- 8th of 7, Feb 24 2016 You're right. The traffic could be diverted over the sidewalks, thus culling even more unnecessary pedestrians.-- 8th of 7, Feb 24 2016 Walking in the very middle of the road would solve the problems raised by this idea.-- bs0u0155, Feb 24 2016 Middlewalk.-- notexactly, Feb 24 2016 How about making the road crested in the middle, but have the low spot in the middle of the outermost lane in each direction. That way sliding cars tend to stay on the road, small puddles don't get hit at all since they are between the wheel tracks, and deep puddles tend to be equally deep in both wheel tracks, reducing loss of control when someone hits them too fast.
Of course it would probably be cheaper just to keep the drains clear.-- scad mientist, Feb 24 2016 // the car that delivered about a hundred gallons of filthy water over me recently// Serves you right for hanging around outside McDonald's.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 24 2016 It was you wasn't it! Confess or "other methods" will be applied. (start heating up the asparagus press Igor)-- xenzag, Feb 25 2016 //A central drain would be much more difficult to access for cleaning than one at the edge as it would mean stopping all traffic.// Actually it wouldn't. You only need to block the outer lanes to access the central area, in the same way as you only need to block the inner lanes to access the drains adjacent to the pavements.-- xenzag, Feb 25 2016 //"other methods"// I'm still waiting for the first methods. Feel free to torture the asparagus as much as you like - it means nothing to me.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 25 2016 gently undulating roads with drains going across them. ah, the joys of a gentle sunday afternoon drive in the country with the top down.-- po, Feb 25 2016 //Feel free to torture the asparagus as much as you like - it means nothing to me.
...ohhhh Viennaaa.
<Midge Ure sends out for extra lawyers.>-- not_morrison_rm, Feb 25 2016 //with drains going across them// FAIL - the drains run along the centre of the roads, not across them....-- xenzag, Feb 25 2016 //torture the asparagus as much as you like - it means nothing to me.// Alas, you have miss-read, but Igor will show you the way.-- xenzag, Feb 25 2016 [Xen] not in my world-- po, Feb 25 2016 I never misread. It's invariably others who have miswrit.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 25 2016 random, halfbakery