A Tennessee man took to TikTok to share what he called "the worst sidewalk" in the state.
The Happy Urbanist (@jonjon.mp4) last year showed followers the travesty of walkability in Chattanooga, where he lives. The pathway is not even 26 inches wide and is interrupted by multiple poles and signs, making it impossible to navigate, let alone navigate safely.
@jonjon.mp4 Replying to @yourneighborwthecutedog new playlist: infrastructure gore. #yimby #nimby #publictransit #publictransportstion #architecture #urbandesign #citydesign #walkablecities #tn #tennessee #chattanooga #nooga #walkablecommunities #urbanplanning #pedestrians #pedestriandignity #notjustbikes #strongtowns #janejacobs #cars #roads #travel #safety #notjustbikes #janejacobs #carscars #neckdown #sneckdown #99pi ♬ Blue Blood - Heinz Kiessling
It's adjacent to a four-lane road where the speed limit is 40 miles per hour. At one spot, the creator points out that they have to step up into a parking lot or risk stepping down into the street to continue on their way. Just as they're finishing this tale, an SUV zooms by.
"I didn't even time that," he says. "That just happened."
Not much farther than 50 feet up the road, he stops again.
"This utility pole was recently installed, caused a gaping hole in the sidewalk, which was just empty for weeks, but then they just filled it with this detritus," he says.
It would be laughable if it weren't so sad and dangerous.
Walking is a great way to get around, offering a piece of the great outdoors, providing exercise, and giving you time to think.
It's also beneficial to the planet and the health of others, as trading in car trips can reduce your production of Earth-warming pollution, which harms our brains, hearts, lungs, and other vital organs.
Switching to an electric vehicle helps, but what if you charge that vehicle with dirty energy from coal or gas, for example? Try walking or cycling instead, at least for a few trips each week.
Notably, it's free to use your own muscles.
For this to be possible, however, Americans must rethink walkability. Make your voice heard so we can turn car-centric cities and suburbs — including their "infrastructure gore," as this creator called it — into thriving hubs of human-centric activity.
"That's supremely bad," one user wrote.
Another commenter said: "It's impossible to use the sidewalk in a wheelchair or mobility scooter. Cool. Great."
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