The 21st century has revolutionised our way of life but in one respect we’re stuck with infrastructure that often dates from the Victorian era. Pavements. They’re stressed, becoming bumpy and hazardous through over-use. Pedestrians are also stressed as they walk along them. They simply aren’t wide enough for modern needs.
There are several issues here. One is population growth. Pavement widths were often determined decades if not centuries ago, when fewer people lived here. In my part of London, census data shows that a third more people are living in the area than in 2001. We hear a lot about the strains suffered by GP surgeries and schools caused by the large number of people who now require their services but less about pavement space