Been living here two months now, (Albuquerque, Corrales: condo, how much, townhouses)

[cap]

and I have to know - what is the deal with the sidewalks?

They are tiny, at least in my neighborhood and along my (walking) route to work, two people can't comfortably pass without one stepping off into the road. And the driveway aprons are built right into the sidewalks! What kind of madness is this?

It's just so weird. The streets are sooooooo wide, but then the sidewalks are miniscule and so uneven (due to the driveways and sometimes people sticking mailboxes right out in the middle of them) that I generally just walk in the street.

Is it because it doesn't really snow here and therefore there is no concern about where to pile snow and how to clear the walks?

I'm really happy here and like most other things, but the bizarre sidewalk situation has kind of blown my mind.

[yukon]

At least there are sidewalks. All the years I lived in FL, I had no sidewalks except for one condo I lived in for a year. The other places, for six years - no sidewalks at all. You walked in the road (and risked the older drivers not seeing you). Not fun.

Are you in an older part of town? My sidewalks are normal sized (same as what I had in Dallas, anyway).

[cap]

I assume it's an older part of town because of the location, but it's hard to tell based on the buildings. The streets and sidewalks all look fairly new.

It's just weird because for the last 5 years I lived in an older part of my city, very close to the university, but the sidewalks were normal and the streets were way more narrow. I guess i just assumed that it would be the norm rather than super wide streets and narrow sidewalks. The other places I've lived were way more rural and often didn't have sidewalks.

I can't imagine how a disabled person would get around my area.

[yukon]

The city came thru about a year ago and updated our sidewalks, didn't widen them but they did put in the incline thing at the corners, it's easier now for wheelchairs to get around, so our sidewalks must be a standard width. Two people can pass comfortably, if that tells you anything. I'm in the Menaul/Tramway area. We do get snow at times up here.

[Road-Runner]

Originally Posted by cap

and I have to know - what is the deal with the sidewalks?

They are tiny, at least in my neighborhood and along my (walking) route to work, two people can't comfortably pass without one stepping off into the road. And the driveway aprons are built right into the sidewalks! What kind of madness is this?

It's just so weird. The streets are sooooooo wide, but then the sidewalks are miniscule and so uneven (due to the driveways and sometimes people sticking mailboxes right out in the middle of them) that I generally just walk in the street.

Is it because it doesn't really snow here and therefore there is no concern about where to pile snow and how to clear the walks?

I'm really happy here and like most other things, but the bizarre sidewalk situation has kind of blown my mind.

You have sidewalks?

You are lucky!

BTW, there are many places out east that don't have sidewalks either. West Acton, Massachusetts comes to mind....nice town, no sidewalks - except in the town square.

My guess is it is priorities. When you move somewhere, you usually look at things that are important to you before moving there - right?

I grew up in the Snowheights area. That area of Albuquerque has nice sidewalks. OTOH, if you move to 4-Hills, which is very exclusive - no sidewalks.

[Sobefobik]

I live just east of Nob Hill and we do have sidewalks. They seem to be plenty wide, but a person on a wheelchair would not be able to use them because of the steep inclines and dropoffs around driveways. I was told they do this because of the monsoon rains, and the steep sidwalks in relation to the driveways makes it less susceptible for flooding, and it points the flood waters in the direction of the street.

I've been here about two months also! Moved mid-May from Portland, OR. I'm liking it a lot too, though I'm ready for some cooler temps.

[cap]

Originally Posted by Sobefobik

I live just east of Nob Hill and we do have sidewalks. They seem to be plenty wide, but a person on a wheelchair would not be able to use them because of the steep inclines and dropoffs around driveways. I was told they do this because of the monsoon rains, and the steep sidwalks in relation to the driveways makes it less susceptible for flooding, and it points the flood waters in the direction of the street.

I've been here about two months also! Moved mid-May from Portland, OR. I'm liking it a lot too, though I'm ready for some cooler temps.

Aaahhhhh.... That makes sense. See, where I'm from everything is geared toward dealing with large amounts of snow so the way driveways are here seems nuts. You could never plow that! lol

I looked closely today as I was out running errands, and it appears that in some places the sidewalks are normal width, but in others they are literally one person wide. Often because it looks like people put up walls that consume about half of the sidewalk. Hmmmm.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by cap

and I have to know - what is the deal with the sidewalks?

They are tiny, at least in my neighborhood and along my (walking) route to work, two people can't

Originally Posted by cap

I assume it's an older part of town because of the location, but it's hard to tell based on the buildings. The streets and sidewalks all look fairly new.

Originally Posted by cap

I looked closely today as I was out running errands, and it appears that in some places the sidewalks are normal width, but in others they are literally one person wide. Often because it looks like people put up walls that consume about half of the sidewalk. Hmmmm.

There is a chance walls, houses etc may have been built before sidewalks were invented... There are some older towns (like Corrales) which have no sidewalks and the path along the major highway is about a foot wide in some places. The City of Albuquerque is over 300 years old, some neighborhoods are quite old, so there is a squeeze effect, how wide do you make the street, how close is the structure to a street, how much space remains for a sidewalk.

The City of Albuquerque does have a sidewalk ordinance: http://www.cabq.gov/streets/document...kordinance.pdf

Page 1 6-5-5-3 PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK, DRIVE PAD, AND CURB AND GUTTER REQUIRED.

All properties within the city shall have sidewalk, drive pad, curb ramps, curb and gutter
in accordance with the standards set forth by §§ 6-5-5-1 et seq., unless a variance from
these standards is allowed through the procedures established by §§ 6-5-5-1 et seq. or
unless such sidewalks, curb ramps, drive pads, curbs and gutters were constructed under
standards previously in force. Such previously constructed improvements shall be
considered non-conforming and as such may be repaired and maintained but if and when
replacement becomes necessary shall be replaced according to the current standards or
variance procedures of §§ 6-5-5-1 et seq. Compliance with the provisions of §§ 6-5-5-1 et
seq. shall be the responsibility of the property owner. The cost of installing sidewalk shall
be borne by the abutting property. On property in residential zones where only houses and
townhouses are allowed, and where the lot abuts public streets at both its front and the rear
lot lines, the property does not bear the cost of constructing missing sidewalk abutting the
rear lot line where the property does not have the legal right to vehicular access from that
street; this exception applies only to lots platted before June 29, 1983 (the effective date of
the city's present Subdivision Ordinance [set forth in Chapter 14, Article 14]).
('74 Code, § 8-6-3) (Ord. 219-1972; Am. Ord. 39-1981; Am. Ord. 77-1989)

[cap]

Well, it's certainly not THAT old. I am northwestish of the unm campus. I looked up the average age of the houses in my neighborhood and it looks like the majority were built between the 50s and 70s, although there very well may have been houses there long before there were sidewalks.

[mortimer]

I'm going to agree that coming from Ohio, these sidewalks are not so hot.

I've literally gone ass-over-elbow on the pea-gravel covered driveway ramps.
Now, I just walk in the streets where the sidewalks are just extended curbs.

I hate to sing the "where I came from they did it better" song,
but ... ... sidewalks in Ohio were about three feet wide with
a four foot grass barrier between the sidewalk and the street.

The four-foot grass barrier is a great place for shade trees to overhang the street.