system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
&gt;Miles of sidewalks in rural areas would need maintenance. Snow would need to be cleared at considerable cost. If the city/county doesn't clear the sidewalk then it's basically the same as not having one.    

"Why would we build sidewalks here in Houston? What if it snows?!!! Then we'd have to clear the sidewalks! Clearly we're not going to do that so we might as well not have any sidewalks whatsoever and tell pedestrians to risk their fucking life when walking because it might snow once a decade".
gpt
Houston is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a rural area.