Sidewalks?

[PamelaF]

Does anyone else have a complaint regarding the lack of sidewalks? I understood there would be sidewalks put in between. Jack Seaton park and Davidson elementary. I would love to be able to walk in the neighborhood. I live in but it is almost impossible with the narrow roads and fast cars, especially pushing a stroller!!!

[rexvirtue]

i live on ok centre east and i couldn't agree more. the space between my hedge and the ditch has more than enough room for a sidewalk, and i've often contemplated putting some paving stones down to make a bit of a sidewalk in front of my house, hoping that my neighbours like the idea and extend it onto their little strip too. or even better, the city like it and builds a proper one, but i'm pretty sure that is too much common sense to ask for. i live on the same side of the street as the bus stops and the road is pretty narrow, with no room to move off without falling into the ditch when cars blast past at 80km/h. winter makes it especially crazy. the town is growing and it's time to use the money for something people actually want and need before another person gets killed by a bad driver. sidewalks save lives.

[WhenWhatWho]

Were there sidewalks in the area when you moved in?

[katzenjammer]

There used to be walking room along OK Centre rd E until it was repaved some years ago. It was made wider which had two effects: traffic speed increased and walking space decreased. Average speed now seems to be 70 kmh and anyone walking this road should expect to be in and out of ditches if they value their life.
I do not expect concrete sidewalks but room on the side for foot traffic should be essential.

[metallica]

sidewalks save lives

Could you please tell me how sidewalks save lives? Other than they are adgacent to a roadway if a vehicle is out of control or a driver or whatever they are doing are incapitated how will a sidewalk save them? And if the people that use them are not aware of their surroundings ie- ear phones while jogging etc how does a sidewalk save lives?

[rexvirtue]

there was no sidewalk when i moved in.

and really???? how do sidewalks save lives? they keep pedestrians out of the direct line of traffic. seems obvious. yes, people still get killed on sidewalks, but i'm willing to bet that the chances of being killed on a sidewalk separated (or even not) from the road by a ditch will reduce the potential for accidents. in winter, it's barely a 2 lane road once the 6 inch shoulders disappear under ice and snow. the road is 50 km/h and most people drive 70, and it causes stress for pedestrians and i bet extra stress for people walking their dogs on the road with cars moving in both directions.

*removed*

[rexvirtue]

found this, might help you. seems to be stating an obvious point, but now you can't plead ignorance.

Research commissioned for the Florida Department of Transportation, published in 2005, found that, in Florida, the Crash Reduction Factor (used to estimate the expected reduction of crashes during a given period) resulting from the installation of sidewalks averaged 74%.Research at the University of North Carolina for the U.S. Department of Transportation found that the presence or absence of a sidewalk and the speed limit are significant factors in the likelihood of a vehicle/pedestrian crash. Sidewalk presence had a risk ratio of 0.118, which means that the likelihood of a crash on a road with a paved sidewalk was 88.2 percent lower than one without a sidewalk. “This should not be interpreted to mean that installing sidewalks would necessarily reduce the likelihood of pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes by 88.2 percent in all situations. However, the presence of a sidewalk clearly has a strong beneficial effect of reducing the risk of a ‘walking along roadway’ pedestrian/motor vehicle crash.” The study does not count crashes that happen when walking across a roadway.