It's the Little Things

11/23/2017

Just an ordinary crosswalk, right? Nothing you'd ever stop and notice. This is where Lawrence crosses Clifton, between the Red Line station and the Bridgeview Bank Building. It was completed during the past few days as part of the current streetscaping project.

But what an improvement "ordinary" is for this location. If you ever had to cross it, you probably remember the 45-degree-angle concrete wedge between street and sidewalk. It was particularly challenging for pedestrians in icy or slushy conditions.

It was a nightmare for people in wheelchairs and those who use canes or walkers. Because of the difficulty of navigating the steep incline, some resorted to walking in the traffic lanes instead of on the sidewalk. Not a good thing just outside a building that is home to many social services and medical facilities that serve the disabled and elderly.

circa 2009 (Google Streetview)

A little thing, really, to some of us, but a godsend to many. It, along with the now normal-height curbs along Lawrence -- ones that are low enough to allow passenger-side car doors to open -- are the kinds of quality of life changes that we love to see happen.