Winter City Design Strategy
The winter environment presents special challenges when trying to enhance and encourage pedestrian mobility. Icy walking surfaces, low level sun exposure, prolonged hours of darkness, and precipitation all have a negative impact on pedestrians.
Some of the key concepts that will be employed along E Street to mitigate these winter conditions include:
Ice-free Sidewalks
- Heat sidewalks and crosswalks to keep surfaces clear of ice and snow
- Encourage and promote the winter pedestrian
- Entire width of sidewalks for the length of street on both sides is proposed
Ice-free sidewalks present many advantages, including:
- Safer and more comfortable – promotes winter activity
- Increases street design opportunities – specialty paving including pavers, colored and textured surfaces, and landscaping
- Potential to reduce maintenance costs through reduced pavement and street tree replacement that occurs from the use of salt and chemicals
- Benefits to business owners
Ice-free sidewalks also present challenges, including:
- Installation, operations and maintenance costs
- Possible utility relocation
- Identifying boiler locations
