A city resident has shared photos of a disturbing construction project that will render a section of the city all but un-walkable.
In a post on the r/UrbanHell subreddit, a user showed off pictures of a road expansion project that is shrinking sidewalks to a size that is practically unusable.
"My city is making a new Bus Rapid Transit lane on its main avenue and now the sidewalks will barely fit two people side by side or a wheelchair," the user wrote in their caption.
They also clarified in a follow-up comment, "The new lane on the left of the picture isn't actually the BRT lane. The BRT lane will run in the middle of the avenue and this new lane is for cars, which means that the rectangular bays are for parking."
This unfortunate development has both positive and negative consequences. By expanding a city's public transportation infrastructure by investing in bus systems, residents will be encouraged to decrease their carbon footprints by taking the bus, as studies have shown that public transportation vehicles are more environmentally efficient than private cars, according to MIT.
Public transportation is especially beneficial if the vehicles in question run on electric power rather than gasoline or diesel — buses in Norway, the Netherlands, and New York have proven this to be effective.
However, the project is decreasing the neighborhood's accessibility to pedestrians, which is a major issue, as traveling on foot is the most environmentally friendly means of transportation on the planet.
Commenters lamented the drawbacks of the project.
"My city did this and it absolutely killed the businesses along the route," one user wrote.
"That is surely against the local building code for disability access?" another user said.
"And it's in front of an old pretty building? Horrific," a third user commented.
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