Antone's Nightclub
Let's Build More Sidewalks
RECEIVED Wed., Aug. 20, 2008
Dear Editor,
Here's an idea for our new city manager [Marc Ott]. Let's build sidewalks on both sides of every street and crosswalks to help people (blind people included) to cross busy streets. This is something that just never gets done in Austin. There is no funding for sidewalks now. Midblock crosswalks are considered bad engineering practice, and engineers fear that letting people walk across streets might cause traffic congestion.
With city blocks a quarter-mile long, the lack of safe midblock crosswalks causes traffic congestion. Since people can't walk across the street, they drive their cars across instead. Too many cars on the street at one time is what causes congestion.
A commuter train is planned but no sidewalks to help people walk to the station. The plan is for people to drive their cars to the station or else wait for a succession of buses.
Austin's devotion to public safety does not include pedestrian safety. When cars kill pedestrians, the only reaction is to blame the pedestrian for not being in a crosswalk. We have a marvelous, much-touted climate protection plan that doesn't include the cheapest, cleanest form of transportation. It's very frustrating.
Sidewalks belong to one city department and crosswalks in another. There is no one in the city whose business it is to see that pedestrians can traverse the city with ease and dignity. We still don't have sidewalks for children to walk to school. Hence, twice a day there will be a traffic jam of idling SUVs at every school.
It's time to start accommodating pedestrians. How about it?
Here's an idea for our new city manager [Marc Ott]. Let's build sidewalks on both sides of every street and crosswalks to help people (blind people included) to cross busy streets. This is something that just never gets done in Austin. There is no funding for sidewalks now. Midblock crosswalks are considered bad engineering practice, and engineers fear that letting people walk across streets might cause traffic congestion.
With city blocks a quarter-mile long, the lack of safe midblock crosswalks causes traffic congestion. Since people can't walk across the street, they drive their cars across instead. Too many cars on the street at one time is what causes congestion.
A commuter train is planned but no sidewalks to help people walk to the station. The plan is for people to drive their cars to the station or else wait for a succession of buses.
Austin's devotion to public safety does not include pedestrian safety. When cars kill pedestrians, the only reaction is to blame the pedestrian for not being in a crosswalk. We have a marvelous, much-touted climate protection plan that doesn't include the cheapest, cleanest form of transportation. It's very frustrating.
Sidewalks belong to one city department and crosswalks in another. There is no one in the city whose business it is to see that pedestrians can traverse the city with ease and dignity. We still don't have sidewalks for children to walk to school. Hence, twice a day there will be a traffic jam of idling SUVs at every school.
It's time to start accommodating pedestrians. How about it?
Yours truly,
Amy Babich
Amy Babich