Friday, February 5, 2010
side walks
Living in Anoka for a little over 10 years has given me an insight on routes and road of the city. For someone who walks or bikes to stores or destinations it can be hazardous and difficult. This town, and many others, lack paths and sidewalks on busy streets such as Round Lake Blvd. During the summer it is simple to walk on the side of the roads. The goose bumps from car speeding by is something to get used to. It is only a small issue to some people. Most of the population in this city has cars. But for the small percent of the population who wish to save money, help the environment or even get exercise are facing difficulties. Having a small chat with an acquaintance I learned that I am not the only one who finds this a problem. After a larger snow fall this acquaintance had to walk in snow that was up to her legs for a good mile or so. The sidewalks were icy and unplowed. When the road was clear of cars she would walk on the side of the road and jump back to the side when a car would speed by. It is only a small issue that might not be news worthy but it is still a concern for pedestrians’ and motorists’ safety.
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It's not a small issue, is it? In fact, your blog points to the way the car culture has come to dominate everything about the way we get around, especially in the suburbs. Thanks for writing this -- it has a really nice 'slice of life' quality to it, a kind of up-close look at an issue that actually has much larger ramifications.
ReplyDeleteFor future blogs (who knows, maybe even news article/feature) maybe you might considering why the city does such a crappy job of accommodating pedestrians. What's that about? How come they budget for plowing the streets, but not the sidewalks? Who makes that call -- and why?
I think you did a great job on this blog. It really sucks having to walk somewhere when there are no sidewalks and you have to walk on the road, or if there are sidewalks, but they are full of snow. I think it's definitely and issue.
ReplyDeleteYou can call the city for clarification of their required time to clear walk ways. Most communities take it quite serious on having sidewalks clean. Good job
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