I don’t get it.
You leave the city, for vaster and greener spaces and a greater quality of life. Whether you accept it or not, when you live in the burbs, you live near malls, plazas and shopping centres. When you lived in the city, large surface stores were a rarity. Even a novelty as you’d have to make a “special trip” out to them, sometimes borrowing a friend’s car or going with a friend who had one. When you lived in the city, you lived near commercial streets, lined with all the businesses you could possibly need and more. You knew exactly which business you had to hit to get everything you needed. You’d sometimes walk 15 blocks, carrying groceries and shopping bags, and you’d even haul them on the bus to keep going, or to go home. Man you we a trooper, eh? But now you drive everywhere, even to the corner shops… And BTW, by you, I also mean ME.

Source: Flickr Creative Commons - Caribb
Why are the suburbs so axed on driving when everything is also close-by? Shops, schools, sports and recreation areas, even the dog park.
For a while there I’d become exactly what I deplored the most about suburban dwellers. I could not believe that people were that lazy and dependant on their cars. I told myself that I would be different, that I’d keep walking everywhere like I used to when I lived in the city. Well that didn’t last long.
It finally occurred to me that the main reason why I don’t, despite the fact that I’m hyper sensitive about the environment and normally deplore laziness, is because I don’t feel safe. And two pet peeves of mine are bad urban planning and bad driving. I bet you anything, if you live in the suburbs, where you shop the most, there’s no cohesive sidewalk system, right? Or worse still, there are no sidewalks at all, even in front of your home?

Source: Flickr Creative Commons - Steve Brandon
At the end of my block, that’s where the sidewalk ends and the shops begin. I live near the middle of a shopping mecca it would seem (I don’t think so but whatever. The locals do). To the North, I have Pharmaprix (that’s Shoppers Drug Mart for you non-Quebecois), Blockbusters, Walmart, Zellers, Super C, Winners and HomeSense, and a bunch of factory outlet stores that sell brands I wouldn’t buy anyway and to the South I have a so-called “Smart Centre” that includes a Dollarama, Future Shop, Bureau en Gros (a Staples, again for you non-Quebecois), Reno-Depot, Canadian Tire, a bunch of other shops and restaurants and a supermarket. All separated by their own parking lots. Not connected in any way. Tell me this, what is so “Smart” about that?

Source: Smart Centres
When my boyfriend and I do walk to the shops (and we have been doing much more of that lately) we end up walking behind the buildings where the loading docks are, as long as we can, before popping up in the front again. People are so absentminded when driving into parking areas: They look for a spot to park first, the pedestrians second. Here, where we live, it’s just safer to walk behind the shop than in front. But I would never do that alone, much less after dark. Nope, not for me.
While doing research for this post I came across so many articles about this issue (Google “no sidewalks in suburbs” and see for yourself ). This one from the Globe and Mail, titled Are the suburbs a health hazard?, is reporting on newfound correlations between living in the suburbs and obesity of all things! Well, I’m not gonna throw in the towel and move because of the sidewalk issue, but my boyfriend and I do want to move to a neighbourhood that has less traffic and that is further from the highway as soon as we can.
I just wish I knew what the rationale was in building neighbourhoods and forgetting about sidewalks, especially when these neighbourhoods are so close to shopping centres, schools and parks.
When I do walk at night around here, and I have to walk in the street:
- I make sure not to wear all black
- I make sure there’s something reflective on me
- I never ever listen to my iPod
And during the day:
- I walk on the opposite side of the street, in on-coming traffic
- Make eye contact with drivers, to make sure they see me
- Never listen to my iPod
Turns out, my city-street-smarts serve me well here in the suburbs, but instead of walking smartly to not attract weirdos, I’m walking smartly to not get hit by cars… What about you? What do you think about this issue? I want to know.
Walk safe!