Running Design

Hi everyone!!! 

I am an industrial desinger and an avid runner. I am currently carrying out research into a project that revolves around running within an urban environment ie a city or a town. I am probing for problem areas within this type of running to hopefully create a design solution for... does anyone have any ideas???

Any answers are welcome, no matter how stupid/ unrealistic

So you want us to design a problem for you to design an answer ????

And how many A levels did it take to get in that Poly ?

traffic

I got great Alevels, I don't attend a poly. i'm looking for any problems people may face whilst running in an urban environment

For starters, please can you

- get rid of road cambers.
- improve gps signal around tall buildings
- install water fountains at 5 mile intervals
- implement a running lane

I am willing and ready to test the solutions

Holidays...... Too crowded today

Cars and vans parked on pavements

Cars on pavement leaving only a foot clearance between bumper and drive, then pull forward when you're less than a metre away on a tempo run.

Fat kids blocking pavements round bus stops waiting to get a bus less than a mile down the road.

Council workers power hosing pavements on freezing cold mornings soaking you from the knees down.

I'll try and think of more.

How about a radar sort of device that warns you the pavement is exceptionally uneven, for when you're running at night? Is that more the sort of thing you're trying to think of? If you can do that, then add a detector for thin branches sticking out, or branches just a couple of inches less far off the ground than the top of your head.

Or a REALLY clever device to tell you when a dog is on a lead?

Pedestrian crossings which take so long between pressing the button and the lights actually changing that runners (and other pedestrians) take their chances dodging the cars instead of waiting for the lights to change.

Badly maintained pavements - great for tripping up on, particularly when having to swerve to avoid oblivious pedestrian (see below).

[Possible solution for crossing roads: provide more islands in the centres of roads so runners and other pedestrians can cross one side at a time.]

The other main problems are to do with human behaviour:

- Car drivers not bothering to look before turning into side roads.

- Car drivers who obviously don't think runners count as pedestrians, when on zebra crossings (as in, if you're a runner, they don't need to stop for you to cross).

- People walking two/three/four/ abreast (depending on width of pavement) with absolutely no consideration for/wareness of other people (walking or running) wanting to get past in either direction, then getting surprised/annoyed when you brush past them.

- People walking with dog on flexi lead with dog on one side of the pavement and person on the other side, producing a tripwire.

- People walking (or cycling!) with their earphones in, while texting, and wandering all over the pavement. Ditto talking on mobile phone - proving that most people really can't walk and talk at the same time...

I could go on, but it gets depressing.

Most of the above particularly the cars on pavements where, apart from runners, params also have to be taken into the road. Also agree with the green man crossings where you have one set to get you to the centre, another set to get across to the other side and, if you have to cross 2 roads at a cross roads you could run a mile in less time.

Also roots that come up through the tarmac, leaves that are not swept up hiding almost anything underneath, street lighting where no light reaches the pavement due to positioning near trees. Finally the type of driveway crossing of the pavement where the footpath has a kerb down and a kerb up rather than a sloping kerb between road and footpath.

Chubby bloke has said it all for me; the authorities take intimate care to ensure that car drivers are not inconvenienced in any way and then wonder why driving is so popular? Just maintaining pavements and keeping them clear of parked cars would be a great start!! What about a kerb stone that damages car wheels if the owner tries to park on the pavement?