Brick sidewalk pavers are okay to stay in central business districts like those in downtown Silver Spring and Wheaton, the county council decided Tuesday morning.
The six working council members voted unanimously to keep the brick stuff as long as it conformed to what was referred to as the “Bethesda streetscape standard”. That means a concrete foundation, a schmear of asphalt on top of that, then an asphalt adhesive to hold the bricks together, Kenneth Hartman, director of Bethesda’s regional center, explained in a letter last month to the department of transportation.
Urban districts, which manage their respective public sidewalks, also must have ongoing maintenance agreements if they want to keep brick pavers around, the council added.
“The standards we’re adopting today achieve the goals of the disabled to get around safely and in an aesthetically pleasing manner,” council member Roger Berliner (D-District 1) told his colleagues during their weekly session.
A member of the county’s commission on people with disabilities told council members she was pleased with their decision, saying it was a “win-win” for her constituents and other stakeholders. The commission previously argued that brick-covered sidewalks made for a tricky, sometimes trippy walk for disabled pedestrians, and they were hell on wheelchairs and other equipment.
Glenn Orlin, deputy council staff director, also reported that brick pavers were more expensive to install than concrete sidewalk slabs. Installing 100 feet or more of concrete sidewalk would cost the county $9 per square foot. Compare that with the $26 per square foot for a brick surface — almost three times the price of concrete, Orlin wrote last month.
On the flip side, the cost of repairing a brick sidewalk is on par with patching concrete. Fixing a concrete sidewalk means replacing entire 5′ x 5′ slabs, running about $14 per square foot. Patching up brick means screwing around with only the affected pieces, which runs about $15 per square foot, Orlin added.
Residents swing both ways on the issue. Some argue that the brick surfaces are slippery when wet, while others favor them because they give the place a signature look.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Daquella Manera.
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“Bethesda streetscape standard”
I can’t explain this, but holding Silver Spring and Wheaton to the “Bethesda streetscape standard” viscerally annoys me.
I’ll remember the ’signature look’ next time I slip and fall on my rear while walking down E-W Hwy in front of NOAA on a rainy or snowy day.
Jennifer, I would appreciate some follow-up on this. At some meeting, I forget which one, I heard a county official say the DTSS bricks were the wrong kind, that they were supposed to have a rougher surface facing upwards toward the tootsies.
The NOAA area used to be awful, there were Metro-type tiles there. I thought those were replaced a couple of years ago. The brick sidewalks on Georgia are pretty good. Why can’t we have bricks like those elsewhere?
I slipped and almost fell flat on my ass the other day at the corner of Colesville and East-West Hwy. The brick sidewalk is on a steeper incline in front of the FedEx Kinkos/Rite Ad shopping area. I have seen people wipe out during wet conditions. That’s some dangerous shit.
The county needs to lay bricks with rough surfaces so our shoes can get decent traction. I can’t believe there are people (i.e. the Smart Growth Urbanists) who put aesthetics over the safety of pedestrians. Time for a letter to the council.
About a year ago, M-NCPPC directed the manufacturer of the Belden bricks to modify the manufacturing process to create a slightly rougher surface on the top of the bricks. For further information, contact John Marcolin in our Design Division at 301-495-4547.
Seems like an awful lot of falling down going on around SS. I walk everywhere around town (bricks included) – sometimes with dogs and have never wiped out…even in the snow! Maybe try not hitting the sauce quite so hard before your stroll.
yea… the one time I’ve ever slipped in DTSS I was running to catch a traffic light, and I slipped on the street – pavement, not brick. Giant rubber mats would be better than all of the above.. but they’d be ugly and impractical. So how bout free “How to Walk Safely in the Rain” classes for DTSS residents? ;-)
DTSS padded underware (fairly cheap per sq ft.) and helmets should be issued as well.
Slightly unrelated, but am I the only one who doesn’t find the Metro bricks slippery? I’ve never had any incidents on wet Metro bricks, and I always give them the little slip test as well when they’re wet – my shoes always seem to grip them wonderfully… and they’re just the bottom-of-the-line Vans that don’t seem to grip much of anything too well…
Regardless, I don’t really care if we have brick sidewalks or concrete… In fact if concrete would save money that could be used to put sidewalks in on streets that have none…
Thanks for the info, Glenn. I never drink anything stronger than caffiene, I wear ugly, practical shoes, and I have had slippery moments.
IHY, speaking of “Smart Growth,” today’s W. Post has a story stating that Arlington has made a little film bragging about their approach. I hope to see it sometime.
“Smart Growth” looks a lot like “Green,” in other words, if people want to do something, they call it a green project or a smart growth project. After all, who is going to say: “Yo! Check out my dumb growth project!”
The NOAA area is bad – but the worst slips/falls are after a rain on the slick incline on Fenton by City Place/Ritz Camera/Chik Fil A — I’ve seen biz-men in leather-soled shoes wipe-out there as well as mom’s in crocs and similar shoes. Seems like such an easy fix — buy from a better manufacturer and come through with a machine and “rough up” the brick pavers already installed.
Speaking of the City Place area, the grates in front of that building are funky anytime, but bad when wet and awful when icy. I have no suggestions. It is best to avoid them, but they tend to be crowded.
YOu know what is honking me off most about this whole matter most is WHY in the first place our bricks weren’t installed properly aka the “Bethesda standard” — WHY were they allowed to be out down in a substandard way here in the first place?
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