But, people will walk on NYC narrow sidewalks, too, but the streets are narrow.

I think, also, there are ped ROW strategies in some areas that do not require a sidewalk. Just a ROW and separation from the traffic. Like where we don’t have sidewalks yet, maybe in the meantime plant a strip between where people can walk and the road.

We also need builders to provide us a way to still walk. I was happy to see that one lane of Westlake was blocked off by cones the other day so I could continue walking and not have to cross the street to where yet another builder had the sidewalk blocked off.

Strategy 2.2: Improve pedestrian access to major destinations
a. Prioritize walking connections to major pedestrian destinations

Identify specific design criteria to allow wider sidewalks in locations of high pedestrian
demand. Explore special signal or crossing treatments near high volume destinations
or at special events, or expand the pedestrian overlay zone to high demand areas.

A few naive questions: We know that widening roads creates automotive traffic. Is the same true of sidewalks and pedestrian use? Say there’s a neighborhood or commercial street that has narrow sidewalks with a lot of new buildings that will increase the number of residents many-fold, and there’s ample parking underground. Does leaving the sidewalks narrow rather than widening them during building construction suppress pedestrian demand? In other words, will the proposed policy be ineffective because it has cause and effect somewhat backwards?

Does it make a difference if the people are moving in from the suburbs or from other cities? Do larger street trees (in wider ROWs) increase pedestrian activity in urban neighborhoods?

What’s a “major destination”? Safeco field, or the local grocery store? Certain houses in West Seattle?