Some parts of town badly need sidewalks
Letter to the Editor
June 9, 2006
I was pleased to see the sidewalk bond passed. As a resident of the Old Town Abilene Neighborhood (between South Third and South Seventh, Butternut to Vine), I am hoping some of those sidewalks will be constructed in our area. The sidewalks and curbs in this area are, in many cases, 100 years old. This is a low to moderate income area and many residents simply cannot afford to replace the sidewalk in front of their home. I, along with other moms, enjoy walking our babies for exercise. We spend most of our time walking our strollers down the street, as the sidewalks are in deplorable condition. And forget about trying to get out for exercise if you are in a wheelchair!
If there is a sidewalk, quite frequently there is a car parked on it. Do people know it's illegal to park on the sidewalk, and who is supposed to enforce this ordinance? We know the city cannot afford to replace all the sidewalks, but the major roads leading to Lincoln Middle School and Rose Park would be a start. Hopefully, with rising gas prices, the city will realize having sidewalks actually leading to the bus stops would be a major innovation and would encourage people to use the city transit. Maybe, in addition to the bond money, some of the capital improvement money being spent on paving alleys could instead be used to replace sidewalks. Wouldn't it be great to walk or roll around the block on a nice evening?
Amber Banner
Abilene
By Amber
Letter to the Editor
June 9, 2006
I was pleased to see the sidewalk bond passed. As a resident of the Old Town Abilene Neighborhood (between South Third and South Seventh, Butternut to Vine), I am hoping some of those sidewalks will be constructed in our area. The sidewalks and curbs in this area are, in many cases, 100 years old. This is a low to moderate income area and many residents simply cannot afford to replace the sidewalk in front of their home. I, along with other moms, enjoy walking our babies for exercise. We spend most of our time walking our strollers down the street, as the sidewalks are in deplorable condition. And forget about trying to get out for exercise if you are in a wheelchair!
If there is a sidewalk, quite frequently there is a car parked on it. Do people know it's illegal to park on the sidewalk, and who is supposed to enforce this ordinance? We know the city cannot afford to replace all the sidewalks, but the major roads leading to Lincoln Middle School and Rose Park would be a start. Hopefully, with rising gas prices, the city will realize having sidewalks actually leading to the bus stops would be a major innovation and would encourage people to use the city transit. Maybe, in addition to the bond money, some of the capital improvement money being spent on paving alleys could instead be used to replace sidewalks. Wouldn't it be great to walk or roll around the block on a nice evening?
Amber Banner
Abilene
By Amber