This one is personal. I walked the late-afternoon pharmacy run with my mum and wrote down what actually made it easy or hard. The goal was not theory; it was “can we get there, queue, and get home without fluster.”
Route and set-up
- Start 18:10, 28 °C, light breeze
- Distance door-to-pharmacy: 540 m each way
- Surfaces: mixed concrete, two patched sections, two zebras
- Kit: small two-wheel shopping trolley (loaded 3.1 kg on the way back), tape measure, stopwatch
Stopwatch log (outbound)
- 00:00 leave house
- 03:18 reach first zebra (delay 00:27 to cross)
- 05:56 bench pause (1 min)
- 08:12 second zebra (delay 00:19)
- 09:40 arrive at pharmacy door
- 16:05 exit pharmacy (queue + counter 6 min 25 s)
Return with trolley heavier by a box of paracetamol, a shampoo, and a litre of milk added to prove the point.
Observations and cheap fixes
| Item | Observed | Cheap fix (≤ €300) |
|---|---|---|
| Shade continuity | 52% shaded; longest gap 70 m between first zebra and bench | Clip a 6–8 m mesh span between two existing posts for summer afternoons; materials ≈ €180 |
| Seating spacing | 160 m gap outbound; 180 m inbound | One slatted bench at 150–180 m mark, set back 2.2 m from carriageway; ≈ €280 |
| Kerb lips at zebras | 14–18 mm at noses; trolley snagged once | Grind to ≤ 6 mm; ≈ €120 consumables and crew time |
| Ramp gradient | Driveway at 7.4% over 3.2 m; OK on foot, slow with trolley | Add a 0.6 m coarse strip at toe for grip; ≈ €40 |
| A-board clutter | One signboard placed 0.9 m from building line; aisle narrowed to 1.25 m | Mark a 0.5 m “shop line” in chalk/paint for boards; ≈ €35 |
| Pharmacy queue | 6 min 25 s; line backed across threshold | Move “start here” marker 1.5 m inside; add a small floor arrow; ≈ €25 |
| Noise at bench | 61–63 dB LAeq over 30 s; OK for conversation | No change needed |
One change to do now (work order)
Two moves, done the same morning:
- Grind both zebra lips to under 6 mm.
- Mark a 0.5 m “shop line” for street-side boards on the tightest block and move the worst A-board behind it.
Kit
- Battery grinder and edge guide, eye protection, brush, small bag of patch mortar
- Chalk line, 1 can line-marking paint, tape measure, printed “boards behind this line” notice
Placement
- Lips: work at the nose corners first (where trolleys cut). Clean, grind, brush, patch as needed.
- Boards: snap a straight line 0.5 m from the façades on the narrow block; paint over chalk once position is agreed with shop.
People
- One person on a cone and sign while grinding; one person to walk the shop fronts and agree board positions.
Cost
- Wear on disks, paint, small patch: roughly €110 if the grinder is already council stock.
Why these first
- They remove the single worst snag (18 mm lip) and the single worst aisle squeeze (A-board). Mum didn’t mention the distance; she mentioned those two.
What I timed on the way back
- Bench pause with trolley: 1 min 20 s felt right; seat height was fine; sun on the legs was not
- Return zebras: 00:22 and 00:20 to cross; drivers yielded but late
- Home arrival: 17:32 door-to-door return including one pause
Notes from walking with mum
- Pacing matters more than distance. We slowed on the unshaded stretch and sped up when the breeze returned.
- The trolley handles kerb lips badly; even 14 mm caught once.
- A single A-board changed our path more than any slope. Moving it would cost nothing but the line and a nudge.
- Shade at the bench would be welcome. Sitting was fine; feet in sun were not.
What I’ll check next week
- Same run at 10:30 and 19:30 to see if shade percentage or crossing delay shifts.
- After the grind-and-line day: snag count with the trolley (target zero), aisle width at the former board spot (target ≥ 1.8 m clear), and queue start position inside the pharmacy (target 1.5 m past threshold).
- One quick intercept at the bench: “Is the seat usable now at this hour?” record yes/no.
My home prep checklist for this run (kept on the fridge)
- Trolley loaded evenly (heavy low, light up top)
- Small water bottle
- Card with list of meds and an emergency contact
- Phone on silent but unlocked
- Hat
- Five euros in coins (copy shop or unexpected print)
If I had one hour of crew time per week
Week 1: grind the two lips and mark the board line.
Week 2: fit the mesh span on the unshaded run.
Week 3: place one bench at the inbound midpoint; slatted seat, back to wall, 2.2 m setback.
Week 4: paint the zebras and add give-way triangles.
Each stands alone if the rest never happens.
Edge cases worth noting
- If it rains, the driveway ramp will go slick at the toe. The coarse strip will help.
- If the pharmacy line grows, an inside “start here” marker and one “please wait” sign outside should stop the threshold block.
- If shops object to the board line, aim for a one-month trial: chalk first, paint later if everyone agrees.
Why this post exists
The health-centre and market tests were general. This one is specific: a weekly errand with a person I care about. It keeps me honest and sets up the off-house list I want to run next: night lighting at home, a small backup for power cuts, and a quieter fan for hot evenings. Those will be separate posts. For now, the pharmacy run works; it will work better once the lips and the board are dealt with.