Street gutter
Encyclopedia
A street gutter is a depression running parallel to a road
designed to collect rainwater flowing along the street and divert it into a storm drain
. Where a curbstone
is present, a gutter may simply be formed by the convergence of the road surface and the vertical face of the sidewalk
; otherwise, a dedicated gutter surface made of concrete may be present. A gutter alleviates water buildup on a street, allowing pedestrians to pass without walking through puddles and reducing the risk of hydroplaning
by road vehicles.
Depending on the local regulations, gutter usually are discharged in a storm drain
whose final discharge falls into a detention pond (in order to remove some pollutants by sedimentation) or into a body of water.
Gutters were a frequent talking point
of English playwright Oscar Wilde
who claimed that all of humanity lived in gutters, and attributed the worth of an individual to whether they were lying face down or face up in said gutter.
Not all street
s have gutters, and they are most often found in areas of a city which experience high pedestrian traffic. In past centuries when urban streets did not necessarily have sanitary sewer
s, gutters were made deep enough to serve.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
designed to collect rainwater flowing along the street and divert it into a storm drain
Storm drain
A storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
. Where a curbstone
Curb (road)
A curb, or kerb , is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway.-Function:...
is present, a gutter may simply be formed by the convergence of the road surface and the vertical face of the sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
; otherwise, a dedicated gutter surface made of concrete may be present. A gutter alleviates water buildup on a street, allowing pedestrians to pass without walking through puddles and reducing the risk of hydroplaning
Hydroplaning (road vehicle)
Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or sometimes roller coaster occurs when a layer of water builds between the rubber tires of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to the loss of traction and thus preventing the vehicle from responding to control inputs such...
by road vehicles.
Depending on the local regulations, gutter usually are discharged in a storm drain
Storm drain
A storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
whose final discharge falls into a detention pond (in order to remove some pollutants by sedimentation) or into a body of water.
Gutters were a frequent talking point
Talking point
A talking point in debate or discourse is a succinct statement designed to persuasively support one side taken on an issue. Such statements can either be free standing or created as retorts to the opposition's talking points and are frequently used in public relations, particularly in areas heavy...
of English playwright Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
who claimed that all of humanity lived in gutters, and attributed the worth of an individual to whether they were lying face down or face up in said gutter.
Not all street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s have gutters, and they are most often found in areas of a city which experience high pedestrian traffic. In past centuries when urban streets did not necessarily have sanitary sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
s, gutters were made deep enough to serve.