As someone who lives in New Jersey in an area that often doesn't have sidewalks (Watchung Mountains) at all, you've reminded me of a related issue, which is that adding sidewalks can be exorbitantly expensive and impractical.
Most of our roads are old colonial paths. They are twisty, high speed (these are main roads people use to get places), and cut into the hillsides in places. There's no curbing, no shoulder and no storm drains.
The roads are lined with big old trees, utility poles are a foot or two off the side of the road, bridges are barely wide enough for two cars, fences and even houses are sometimes right up on the edges of these roads.
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They looked into putting in sidewalks on one of those roads at one point. It was going to cost millions of dollars and embroil them in lawsuits forever.
Huge numbers of old-growth trees would have to come down, multiple bridges would have to be built (or the road ones would need to be rebuilt wider), the drainage ditch would have to get replaced with curbing and storm drains, a couple people with old houses that closely abut the road would no longer be able to use their driveways (which are currently just long enough to fit cars and not be in the road)....and on and on.
Not surprisingly, the idea was dropped and never brought up again.
Most of our roads are old colonial paths. They are twisty, high speed (these are main roads people use to get places), and cut into the hillsides in places. There's no curbing, no shoulder and no storm drains.
The roads are lined with big old trees, utility poles are a foot or two off the side of the road, bridges are barely wide enough for two cars, fences and even houses are sometimes right up on the edges of these roads.
----------
They looked into putting in sidewalks on one of those roads at one point. It was going to cost millions of dollars and embroil them in lawsuits forever.
Huge numbers of old-growth trees would have to come down, multiple bridges would have to be built (or the road ones would need to be rebuilt wider), the drainage ditch would have to get replaced with curbing and storm drains, a couple people with old houses that closely abut the road would no longer be able to use their driveways (which are currently just long enough to fit cars and not be in the road)....and on and on.
Not surprisingly, the idea was dropped and never brought up again.