Fences are the Devil's Work!

[Aria]

I live in a city with a mania for fencing and it is SERIOUSLY annoying.

They say we have a problem with obesity. They say we need to walk more. They build paths we can walk on. And they FENCE THEM IN so we can't actually get anywhere! People with bolt cutters break the fences so we can GO PLACES. Wooden fences have holes torn in so we can GO PLACES. The city fixes them and the cycle repeats.

Now, in the newer, ritzier neighborhoods, the fences are stone. We just won't go places. Why would we walk to go buy groceries when the fences force us to walk farther? When there's no direct way where we want to go? We'll take our car, what else would we do?

I hate fences.

[April]

That....doesn't even make sense. We have a path that runs something like 63 miles through the city. It doesn't go to stores specifically, but there are tons of places to get off the path to go where you want to go.

[dalesys]

They should call it "The Maine Laine -- You can't get there from here".

[Sapphire Silk]

They use hedges on my campus. When they built the building my department is in, they sodded an area behind the building, and planted some trees, many of which didn't take.

The sod is in a square that blocks the quickest path to the bookstore and school cafeteria. So naturally the students wore a foot path diagonally across it.

Instead of just paving over the foot path and making a regular path, they planted hedges to block access to the grass.

[Seshat]

My uni put grass pavers along the student-worn tracks in the areas designated for lawns. That, plus a sturdy, runner-based grass meant the tracks were covered (eventually) with grass; and the students could still cross the lawn in time for their next lecture.

[Jetfire]

I've heard stories of how some campuses (university and/or business campuses) when they have a new building opening, or have something happen that changes traffic flow, they will just grass over the area for the first season, and see where the traffic patterns wear it out. Once they have the routes identified, they'll plan/adjust the walkways to follow those wear patterns as best they can.

For me, I'm a bit annoyed at my condo group. I moved into a condo complex that's called "Trailside Lane". It is literally on one of the main walking trails on my side of the city. A few months after I moved here, they put up fencing so you can't get from my condos onto said trails without heading out to the street and going around the corner. All because they don't want other people walking through the parking lot (which local kids still tend to do) *sigh*

[NoRedCards]

My college did the new building/plant grass thing when I was a freshman. There was one path that was used quite heavily that got paved after the year ended, but led to a lot of extremely muddy shoes in the bad weather until then. Would have been cheaper to pave it as soon as the wear started showing up (which was quick because this saved most students about 5 minutes of walking) instead of paying to clean the carpets after every rain or snow storm.

[Aria]

That....doesn't even make sense. We have a path that runs something like 63 miles through the city. It doesn't go to stores specifically, but there are tons of places to get off the path to go where you want to go.

I know right? I seriously think there's a department of fences in this city and they must spend ALL THE BUDGET to justify their existence. And to keep the budget.

I also think we have a budget of signage. There are signs EVERYWHERE. Dumb signs that no one cares about. At least those are less annoying than the fencing issue. One sign was funny, though... a HUGE one proclaiming that the top of this ridge I always walk the dogs on is a transport corridor and we are not to use it.

My dog peed on it, which neatly encapsulated my feelings on the matter.