I too am to the point of putting in some roads and sidewalks. A quick search turned up a thread with extensive info on road widths but nothing on sidewalks.
What are typical sidewalk widths (urban, suburban, rural)?
I imagine my town to be in the late 50’s of population on the order of 50k to 100k.
I would think that the sidewalks could be any size you want. There was’nt any codes back then as far as side walks were concerned ( that I know of). I would think the width of the sidewalk in front of store would be 1.5 to 2 times the size (height) scale wise of the door to enter the building. Just my two cents worth. ennout
why not take a walk around your (1:1) town & neighborhood & take a few measurements? A normal entryway door is 36" …a width most people can pass thru easily… so if 2 people had to pass each other on a sidewalk they would need about 72" (6 ft), You could propably cheat a little maybe down to 5 ft…since just having sidewalks will add to the scene. In HO 3/4"(real) = 65.25" (scale) (that is approx 5 1/2 ft)
Thanks to all for your input.
Was going to do a little work today and figured I could tap the knowledge of sidewalk experts.
As for a walk around, yeah right… 'Round these parts you walk on the side of the road and pray the ID10T sees you! Some time ago, sidewalks lost their purpose and apparently builders are not required to install them. If I were going to a neighboring town, I might be able to get a few quick numbers. Maybe I should plan a trip to the LHS and get a metro size.
We did about 5,300 square feet of sidewalk and driveway etc this summer out in eastern Kentucky. Three feet wide was standard just for the walks. Four feet wide on a few of the busier connector walks and five feet wide on all walks adjacent to the city streets. These were from properties built in the late 60s and early 70s. Research your town and find out what it has built. All it takes is a tape measure and a notebook!
Although building codes didn’t always cover this, I found suburban walks to average in the 3 foot wide area but city walks varied by space available, meaning 3 plus feet. Walks from the side walk to homes set back was narrower, again, no standard.
Sidewalks in public areas should be 5’ to 6’ wide with joints every 5’. Sidewalks that can accomidate two way wheelchair access should be 6’ wide minimum. A ‘one-lane’ ramp or sidewalk can be 3’ wide. Sidewalk widths along streets should include a 6" wide curb.
Check at your local library or with a local architect for a book called “Architectural Graphic Standards”…included are general sizes of anything you’d want to build.