How the hell can a person go to places here? (Atlanta: rental homes, crime)

[DarkHadou]

IF they don't have sidewalks, and have restrictions in public places with signs that say " No bikes, no skates, no roller skates, etc..." Like seriously, this place is NOT designed for humans, these people should STOP assuming that everyone drives, and forget about public transportation, it does not EXIST here. I can just imagine someone from this state looking at a map of the New York Subway System, confused and excited at the same time. This place is so simple to design on paper that I don't even have to use a pencil for the details, I can just use a marker. And if I ever view this place from a helicopter view, I will see cars in rat mazes (subdivisions), most of them parked in driveways while a few are aimlessly driving in circles, lol. How can someone forget about the pedestrians in their design???

[mikepayne]

what place you talking about????

[keeshonder]

Like Mike Payne said, what place are you talking about?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by DarkHadou

IF they don't have sidewalks, and have restrictions in public places with signs that say " No bikes, no skates, no roller skates, etc..." Like seriously, this place is NOT designed for humans,

You could be describing any number of places in Georgia, including several of the outer suburban areas of Atlanta which will not install sidewalks.

I'm going to be very blunt as to why, and it comes from people I know in the construction business, home contractors, and realtors who would never be named. It's not going however, to turn into the typical race-junk type of thread, so keep any replies civil in nature if discussing it. I'm just being upfront about it.

The general rule that some realtors will tell clients (at least here), who specifically say that they want to "avoid riff raff" in the area, is that they would want to buy a home in an area that 1) Has no sidewalks, and 2) Has no stores or convenience stores within a 2 mile walk. The reason - if there are sidewalks and/or stores within 2 miles, you will have large families of "undesirables" living in the area in rental homes, who do not own cars, who will walk to the conveniences. If you have no sidewalks, it will discourage some who don't want the dangers of walking on the side of busy streets, and if you add to that moving to an areas void of nearby (walkable) stores, then you guarantee that most of those in your area at least, will be "car people".

There is your answer, and a dirty little secret in a couple of industries.

That being said, all of Georgia's major cities do have public transit, and Atlanta itself has rail and buses, too. No, it's not on the level of New York, but if you want THAT kind of service, you will have to move to London, Tokyo, Beijing, or one of a very select few world cities that do have it.

[cityrover]

Drive?

[keeshonder]

In response to AtlantaGreg30127 - I have no idea what kind of realtors you have been hanging out with but I am one and have never said that nor do I know any that would say it. As a matter of fact, "sidewalk" communities are becoming the most desireable, with easy and convenient access to shopping. I don't know of too many places, other than "out in the country" where you can go 2 miles without a convenience store.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by keeshonder

In response to AtlantaGreg30127 - I have no idea what kind of realtors you have been hanging out with but I am one and have never said that nor do I know any that would say it. As a matter of fact, "sidewalk" communities are becoming the most desireable, with easy and convenient access to shopping. I don't know of too many places, other than "out in the country" where you can go 2 miles without a convenience store.

Note I said some realtors in my reply, and through the years I've known a great many - and some of them will say this to home seekers, while others will not. Even way back in 1984 when I moved here, I would notice areas with no sidewalks, and when I asked people about it, again - SOME of the realtors would say, "oh, this is why, ......" with what I mentioned earlier. I should have specified suburban areas though. Inside the city sidewalks are indeed desired (though most areas already have them). It's some of the suburban areas I'm speaking of.

I can site one recent example in Powder Springs a couple of years ago when they decided to put a sidewalk on Shipp Road (1.5 mile stretch) where there had been none before. The opposition to it by established residents was huge, but it was built anyway. Many of them moved as a result - some stayed. Now, there was a small increase in crime in that area afterward and every time it winds up being teens who are doing it who walk the sidewalk or ride their bikes on it to go back and forth and do petty crime things... I'm not blaming the sidewalk for the crime - it's the people who commit the crime, not a slab of concrete. All I'm saying is that in some of the suburban areas they associate sidewalks with attracting "carless people", and they associate "carless people" with "crime", and some of the realtors will respond to the home buyers fears - others do not.

[southernnaturelover]

Atlantagreg is absolutely correct. Many people simply do not want people walking in front of their homes, especially after dark. I own a rental home that has a sidewalk about 10 feet from the front porch, and that is the #1 complaint that I get from my renters. Teenagers like to walk all hours of the night when they should be at home, some of them talk loudly and bounce basketballs that can be heard inside the homes. I have a police radio and I hear calls come in frequently about "suspicious people" walking back and forth in front of peoples houses (many times elderly residents). Lack of sidewalks doesn't completely eliminate this though, some people simply walk in the street.

[MCPatrick1970]

Originally Posted by DarkHadou

IF they don't have sidewalks, and have restrictions in public places with signs that say " No bikes, no skates, no roller skates, etc..." Like seriously, this place is NOT designed for humans, these people should STOP assuming that everyone drives, and forget about public transportation, it does not EXIST here. I can just imagine someone from this state looking at a map of the New York Subway System, confused and excited at the same time. This place is so simple to design on paper that I don't even have to use a pencil for the details, I can just use a marker. And if I ever view this place from a helicopter view, I will see cars in rat mazes (subdivisions), most of them parked in driveways while a few are aimlessly driving in circles, lol. How can someone forget about the pedestrians in their design???

I agree. My town lacks sidewalks. You have to drive everywhere and if you attempt to walk, you'll be run over by some soccer mom in an oversized SUV while she's yakking on her mobile phone.

[cityrover]

Originally Posted by MCPatrick1970

I agree. My town lacks sidewalks. You have to drive everywhere and if you attempt to walk, you'll be run over by some soccer mom in an oversized SUV while she's yakking on her mobile phone.

why would you walk on a vehicle road? having no sidewalks is no excuse to jaywalk so lay off labelling people driving cars on roads made for cars.