Monolithic Sidewalk

[confusion]

since it's a sign to warn plows not to plow close to the monolithic sidewalk, shouldn't the plow graphic in the sign be moving away from curb/sidewalk rather than being right next to it?

Yes. But that makes too much sense, thinking something through before putting it on a sign.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Yes. But that makes too much sense, thinking something through before putting it on a sign.

LOL!

the plow next to the curb with its blade slightly angled toward the curb practically instructs you in a visual sense to pile snow on the sidewalk!

 

[W. K. Lis]

The current design of sidewalks is for the sidewalk to slope down at corners and at driveways. There is a design being tried out in places that keeps the sidewalk level, but the roadway's curb rises up. Don't think it will work in Canada because of the snow plows.

 

[Silver Screen]

I, too have noticed these signs. There is also one with the same photo, only it is in green, warning that the monolithic sidewalk ends. These signs are posted along Lawrence East and Kingston Road in eastern Scarborough as well.
The sidewalks where I have seen these signs are not together with the curb. There is a 6 foot grass boulevard separating them. So, the presumption that the curb and sidewalk are poured together does not apply to these sidewalks.

As far as that machine pouring a slab of concrete it is no different than a 'formed' sidewalk being poured by concrete truck and hand trowelled. It is still one slab with the expansion slits cut into the dried concrete later.

I have only seen these signs pop up since the beginning of spring 2009. I am going to send an e-mail to the city to find out what it means. I will post the reply as soon as I get it.

 

[ShonTron]

maybe the sign is there to warn street plows not to plow close to the curb so snow from the road won't get piled onto the sidewalk?

Prometheus got it right!

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/fix...r-mystery-of-the-monolithic-sidewalk-revealed

he Fixer: Mystery of the ‘monolithic sidewalk’ revealed
Published On Wed Apr 21 2010

By Jack Lakey
The Fixer

What is a “monolithic sidewalk,” and why would anyone care enough to put up signs telling people they’re walking on one?

For a couple years, we’ve occasionally noticed small red signs on utility poles that say “monolithic sidewalk begins,” which puzzled us because the sidewalk looked a lot like ones without such a serious-sounding designation.

You know, a long grey ribbon of concrete next to the curb beside the road, just like the thousands of kilometres of sidewalks across the rest of the city.

Adding to the puzzle is the white outline of what looks like a snow plow on the signs.

We were curious, but not enough to do anything about it until an email arrived from Stuart Millar saying he recently spotted the signs near Victoria Park Ave. and Gerrard St. E., and that he’d also seen green signs that say “monolithic sidewalk ends.”

“The problem is waste,” said Millar. “First, what is a monolithic sidewalk and who cares where it begins or ends? Waste, waste and more waste. Is it any wonder this city is bankrupt?”

We checked an online dictionary for the definition of monolith. The most applicable explanation was “something suggestive of a large block of stone, as in immovability, massiveness or uniformity.”

We Googled “monolithic sidewalk” and found a photo of the red sign on the urbantoronto.ca website, along with a caption describing it as “rather creepy or intimidating.” Someone else posted an explanation that it “means the sidewalk and curb are poured together, made of one blob of concrete.”

It seemed a lot of other people were also puzzled, so we got in touch with Fiona Chapman, Toronto’s manager of pedestrian projects, who surprised us by saying the signs are not intended for pedestrians, but to inform snowplow operators.

She forwarded us an email from Trevor Tenn, manager of road operations in North York, who previously held the same title in Scarborough, where the monolithic sidewalk mystery apparently began.

Sidewalks with the monolithic designation are considered too narrow to store snow pushed up onto them by plows, said Tenn’s email. The signs are meant to alert the plow driver “not to push the snow onto the sidewalk but leave it on the road, close to the curb.

“This is done by the plow operator slightly deviating out towards the centre lane to deposit the snow along the curb.”

Bottom line: The signs have more utility than some of us thought.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Prometheus got it right!

maybe i should get into cryptanalysis.

 

[4grand]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/fixer/article/798818--the-fixer-mystery-of-the-monolithic-sidewalk-revealed


They ask the same question, and mention urbantoronto.ca in the article.

 

[ShonTron]

They ask the same question, and mention urbantoronto.ca in the article.

Yep, just as I mentioned two posts above.

 

[kettal]

First, what is a monolithic sidewalk and who cares where it begins or ends? Waste, waste and more waste. Is it any wonder this city is bankrupt?

 

[Voltz]

Maybe some one should tell the snow plow drivers what those signs mean, I think some of them see the closley spaced side walks as a challenge to fill them up with as much snow as possible

 

[Asterix]

First, what is a monolithic sidewalk and who cares where it begins or ends? Waste, waste and more waste. Is it any wonder this city is bankrupt?

I seem to have read the answer to that first question in two separate posts just above yours, starting with this one:
http://urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?9243-Monolithic-Sidewalk&p=394782#post394782

Given the reason for the signs, is it really such a waste? Of course this assumes that the directive is heeded, as a subsequent poster suggest doesn't happen.

I guess the alternative to wasting money on those signs would be to either not try and notify the plows to alter their practice at those locations or to rebuild the sidewalks with suitable boulevards (while encroaching on homeowner's front lawns) so that plowed snow can be piled up without impacting sidewalk navigability. Does that seem preferable to the supposed waste?

 

[golodhendil]

^ if you actually read the post you quoted you should know where kettal's post came from.

Edit: that was, indeed, the best part.

 

[bAuHaUs]

Here's a monolithic sidewalk being poured (the one continuous blob), as opposed to typical Toronto practice of pouring the sidewalk separate from the curb and one slab at a time:

I don't know why that menacing truck has cartoon eyes for headlights...

Look, it only takes 3 guys to lay down a sidewalk...this sure as hell isn't in Toronto.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Where will it end?