Since Hyde DP is posting its 300th post today, and I wanted that to have a more positive feel about it, I'm running the theme here instead this month.
One of the annoying things about Hyde is the seemingly haphazard way in which the roads and pavements are changed, repaired or improved. I had intended showing one of a number of roads that fail to have dropped kerbs to allow wheelchair users to progress smoothly across. What especially annoys is when new access roads, for example to the school that replaced the one originally on Greenfield Street, don't have them built in. At older junctions it is understandable but with new building there is no excuse.
Our latest annoyance however is with what is happening here. This busy little junction outside the entrance to Clarendon Square Shopping Centre is being made narrower! This is where the Ring and Ride service set down and pick up. It gets quite congested sometimes with cars parking, people often thinking they can nip quickly in and out of the shopping centre or use the hole in the wall (ATM) at Lloyds Bank. The pavement is already wide enough so what on earth are they doing extending it? Three [albeit illegal] parking spaces will be lost but I can't see how that will improve traffic flow or discourage folk from parking on the crossing opposite the Jolly Carter.
So what annoys people around the world?
The links below point to the other DP sites participating in today's theme.
1. Porto (Portugal) ~~ 2. Stayton, OR (USA) ~~ 3. Albuquerque, NM (USA) ~~ 4. Tenerife (Spain) ~~ 5. Greenville, SC (USA) ~~ 6. Dubai (UAE) ~~ 7. Evry (France) ~~ 8. Jakarta (Indonesia) ~~ 9. London (UK) ~~ 10. Sequim, WA (USA) ~~ 11. Buenos Aires, (Argentina) ~~ 12. Seattle, WA (USA) ~~ 13. Minneapolis, MN (USA) ~~ 14. Stavanger (Norway) ~~ 15. Joplin, MO (USA) ~~ 16. Nelson (New Zealand) ~~ 17. Milano (Italy) ~~ 18. Singapore by KeropokMan ~~ 19. La Antigua (Guatemala) ~~ 20. Nottingham (UK) ~~ 21. Singapore by Zannnie ~~ 22. Budapest (Hungary) ~~ 23. Not Strictly Seattle, WA (USA) ~~ 24. Bandung (Indonesia) ~~ 25. Vantaa (Finland) ~~ 26. Hyde (UK) ~~ 27. Madrid by Dsole (Spain) ~~ 28. Oulu (Finland) ~~ 29. Saarbrücken (Germany) ~~ 30. St. Paul, MN by Carol (USA) ~~ 31. Sydney by Sally (Australia) ~~ 32. Tokyo (Japan) ~~ 33. Kyoto (Japan) ~~ 34. Trujillo (Peru) ~~ 35. Shanghai (China) ~~ 36. Rotterdam (Netherlands) ~~ 37. Chicago, IL (USA) ~~ 38. Nice (France) ~~ 39. Naples, FL (USA) ~~ 40. Hong Kong ~~ 41. Santa Clara, CA (USA) ~~ 42. Quito (Ecuador) ~~ 43. Cottage Grove, MN (USA) ~~ 44. Paris (France) ~~ 45. Lubbock, TX (USA) ~~ 46. Brussels (Belgium) ~~ 47. Auckland (New Zealand) ~~ 48. Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) ~~ 49. Sydney by Nathalie (Australia) ~~ 50. Houston, TX (USA) ~~ 51. Mumbai (India) ~~ 52. New York, NY (USA) ~~ 53. Anderson, SC (USA) ~~ 54. Cherbourg-Octeville (France) ~~ 55. Cheltenham (UK) ~~ 56. Constanta (Romania) ~~ 57. Nantes (France) ~~ 58. Adelaide (Australia) ~~ 59. Tucson, AZ (USA) ~~ 60. Maple Ridge (Canada)
I think your wheelchair access peeve is very valid. I am not so sure about the traffic flow issue. Where I live they narrowed the downtown streets from four lane to two lane with angle parking. That along with trees and flowers changed the traffic flow and character of the town. Twenty years later we were named one of then best places in the US to live in large part because of the narrowing of our main street.
ReplyDeleteIt is always a mystery who dreams up these schemes. Of course the authorities never admit they were wrong and put it back...
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike, eh, Gerald? :) Thanks for pointing me to your 'annoyance'. I hope things work out for the best at that junction.
ReplyDeleteRoaworks, crowds and vandalism are the three main themes I've seen so far in the list of our city complaints...
ReplyDeleteThis one is coming up all over the place. Roadworks are not popular at all. Someone somewhere makes these decisions. How i wonder.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 300th post!! YEAH! Sixty five more to go and you'll be a big boy. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding me to the theme list.
yes, happy 300th.
ReplyDeletewhat are they doing with the bit of space saved?
bravo et felicitation pour ton 300th post. cela me parait bien loin pour mon blog.
ReplyDeletecheer and congratulation for your 300th post. that appears to me well far for my blog.
Congratulating for 300th post in Hyde DP. Makeing narrower is not improvement. (Well that is for pedestrian maybe.) I'm with you!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot to illustrate your concern. Perhaps drawing an eye to this blog down at city planning would help change their minds?
ReplyDelete-Kim
There is always a lot of work to do!! And never finishes!
ReplyDeleteAh, it seems from a browse thru other city annoyances that you are not alone with this one!
ReplyDeleteYes that would be quite annoying!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 300th post...see ya ...aa...my theme i dont think its good, but i try :)
ReplyDeleteI see they use separate kerbstones for between road and sidewalk(pavement in UK)
ReplyDeleteover here they have a machine that goes along and forms the barrier section and is easy to put the wheelchair access (it uses less concrete) and is neater looking and lasts longer they use concrete to finish the sidewalk/pavement, much better than the individual paving slabs