However: traffic engineers generally avoid bollards in favor of guardrails because cars crash into bollards and stop abruptly, thereby causing injury to occupants, whereas they are generally deflected/glanced away by guardrails, which results in a less severe impact - again, for vehicle occupants.
Therefore, the standard way of handling a situation like this would be to move the guardrails behind the sidewalks. Pedestrians are no longer protected - but drivers are safe from running into a bollard and from careening over the edge. This is Righteous and Good because we all know that people on foot are zeros, leeches, a scourge on society, up to no good - while drivers are Real True Hard Working Americans who Matter, doing Very American Things.
This would be a perfect example of Tactical Urbanism, which for legal reasons I am in no way endorsing. But there are many examples and some studies that have shown how things like spray painted bike lanes or crosswalks have led to permanent fixes by showing how obvious and beneficial they are to the community.
I think there’s a guardrail there simply because there’s always been one there.
It’s not an attempt to stop cars from driving into RIW or to stop pedestrians from trying to cross the street. They just replaced an old dented one with a new one
But if you’re downtown, and going to points north, it’s that or the godawful experience that is Capital (which bends off to the east anyway). Atlantic, Wake Forest, and Six Forks all fulfill an important purpose as true north-south roads.
I regret to inform you that the food, shopping, and drinks options there are really really good. And it has less of that super artificial mall vibe. And you don’t have to drive to Cary. It’s pretty great.
I remember when this happened. DOT left the crosswalks deactivated for months until a pedestrian was killed and then I think the city had to step in and get it online. This whole region is a god damn joke when it comes to road/pedestrian safety. Someone remind me how we gained such a good reputation for raising children?
People like to complain about parking and accessibility downtown but I don’t think I have ever had these issues attending any event of any size in DTR. It’s these exact issues, though, that keep me from going to place like RIW. No thanks, I don’t care how good the food is.
So I don’t know if it’s the same with your kids, but when I take my dogs out of the fenced in backyard, I always keep them on a leash. They do tend to wander into the street otherwise.
I know you are being a funny, and you are… quite funny, but kids aren’t dogs and I don’t expect cities to build infrastructure for dogs. We don’t even have the bare minimum and it’s sad.
