| Curb (road) |
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A curbThe for proper Drainage of the roadway, and second for Safety , to keep motorists from Driving onto the shoulder, median, or sidewalk. As a gutter, they guide Water from Rain and melted Snow and Ice into the Storm Drain s, so that it does not Pool -up on the surface. Large Puddle s like this can be dangerous, as they can cause Hydroplaning at higher Speed s and loss of Control of an Automobile , resulting in a Car Crash . Even at lower speeds, water and Mud can spray up from Tire s onto motorists behind, causing them to lose Visibility . Finally, they can also splash Pedestrian s, potentially leaving them soaking wet. As a Traffic control measure, they keep motorists on the road, and prevent them from driving around other traffic as if it were a Hard Shoulder . There is also a disadvantage to this, as it is more difficult to get a vehicle off of the road in case of a Breakdown or other Emergency . There is also an Aesthetic aspect, in that curbs look more formal and "finished". Since curbs add to the cost of a road, they are generally limited to Urban and Suburb an areas, and are rarely found in Rural areas except where certain drainage conditions (such as Mountain s or Culvert s) make them necessary. Curbs may be squared-off, angled, or rounded. The latter kind is most often used at Driveway s, and continuously along suburban residential streets where there are many driveways, and the sidewalk has a Grass y Setback from the street. This rounded type starts out nearly flat like the road, curves up in a Concave manner to a gentle Slope , then curves back in a Convex manner to nearly flat again, making it far easier to drive over. The angled type is most often used on major suburban Thoroughfare s, and is more modern than the other two. The square (90°-edge) type is still almost always used in Town s and Cities , as it is a straight step down and thus less likely to be Tripped -over by pedestrians. In addition to driveways, curbs also slope down to street level at Crosswalk s and other Pedestrian Crossing s. This is not only somewhat easier for those on foot, but especially so for those in Wheelchair s, as it would be nearly impossible to traverse the curb otherwise. Depending on the area, the white line that normally indicates the outside (shoulder) edge of the road may or may not be present where there is a curb. NOTES SEE ALSO |