It’s easy to make excuses why sidewalks so often don’t meet pedestrians’ basic needs. And sometimes there are genuine instances of “falling between the gaps” Like this one

Here the view westwards, along Lisgar:

.Do you see it?

Try this view, looking eastwards on the same sidewalk:

In the foreground of pic two is Hudson Park, condo by Charlesfort. It has a wider-than-normal sidewalk, about 6′ instead of the regulated 5′. Which is good, because the walk is busy.

The brick condo is by Domicile. The Domicile condo widened the walk in front of their building with cobbles and a curb, which is probably effective at keeping the edge of the landscaping verdant and the soil not packed down.

And where the two meet …

 

I don’t know if that planter space between the two condo corporations used to have a shrub in it. It doesn’t matter, because its been ground out of existence by now. So we have a nice long length of widened walk interrupted by a mud patch.

It doesn’t matter who is to blame, or responsible. The right thing to do would be for the Hudson Condo (for they own the plot in question) to pave it in concrete or matching cobbles. Do it strong enough to support a walk plow, so it doesn’t sag and become a depressing puddle in the future.

I can think of a number of other places in Ottawa where these walkway gaps exist. I’d appreciate if readers could send me photos of any places where similar conditions for motorists exist, ie a lane that suddenly ends then resumes a few feet or yards further on.