[Blindtlk] Walking on city streets with no sidewalks

[Mike Freeman]

Gets 'em out of my hair!

Mike Freeman


> On Sep 27, 2015, at 08:36, Jim Portillo via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> And how far does that question get you? <smile>
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike
> Freeman via blindtlk
> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2015 8:18 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Cc: Mike Freeman
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Walking on city streets with no sidewalks
> 
> I either ignore the do-gooders or I ask them if they want their taxes raised
> to pay for more sidewalks.
> 
> Mike Freeman
> 
> 
>> On Sep 26, 2015, at 16:09, Arielle Silverman via blindtlk
> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi all. Just wanted to pick your brains regarding tips for traveling 
>> effectively and staying oriented on streets that have no or 
>> inconsistent sidewalks. There are some streets in my city that have no 
>> sidewalk and are fairly quiet streets but they intersect a busy 
>> street. When I attended LCB I got some good practice shorelining 
>> gutters on the edge of the road or seams between the road and 
>> driveways. But here there are often seams that come and go, or 
>> intermittent gravel patches, or rows of parked cars that come and go, 
>> making it difficult for me to stay centered. Sometimes the parked cars 
>> also make echolocation difficult. How do you stay straight?
>> Another related aggravation is that often do-gooders will freak out if 
>> I am walking in the street even though it's my only option given the 
>> lack of sidewalk. Especially if I veer a tiny bit away from the edge 
>> because of the lack of consistent landmarks, people will get really 
>> concerned and keep asking me if I need help or if I need a ride or 
>> admonishing me not to be in the street like I'm an errant 
>> three-year-old. Even when I know my way, it makes me feel 
>> uncomfortable about walking in the street because I feel like I'm 
>> bringing all this attention on me and distracting and upsetting others 
>> around me. How do you handle such reactions? These are quiet streets, 
>> so I don't believe I am actually in danger (and if I hear a car coming 
>> I always get as far to the side as I can), but because it's hard for 
>> me to keep a straight line, sighted people don't know how to deal with 
>> me. What are your thoughts about this?
>> One example: A bus stop I sometimes use is on a tiny patch of sidewalk 
>> with grass on one side and a fenced driveway on the other. When I 
>> cross the street to get to the stop, it's easy for me to miss the 
>> small sidewalk patch and I have to walk up and down the block a little 
>> bit (without sidewalk) to find it. I can usually find it fairly 
>> quickly, but one time as I was looking for the stop, several people 
>> stopped their cars or got out of their cars trying to help me find the 
>> stop (and some not even knowing there was a bus stop there) just 
>> making everything a big mess. I ended up switching to a further-away 
>> bus stop on sidewalk to avoid that problem, but I have to walk through 
>> a sidewalk-less block to get there.
>> So, how do you stay oriented, and how do you placate the do-gooders 
>> and keep them from becoming a distraction?
>> 
>> Best,
>> Arielle
>> 
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