A simple test exists to determine the value of sidewalks in a city or neighborhood. Take a 30-minute walk in a place that has no sidewalks and then take a walk in a place that has them.

Night and day.

And if you actually do the experiment at night — or after 4 p.m. or so October through February — the results are even more obvious. Night drivers aren’t typically expecting to see people on streets in the dark. But they are there, and as messages from health experts urge the population to get out and move, more and more people are out and about.

Sidewalks, however, aren’t just a safety issue. They are pathways to a tighter-knit community. A sidewalk can be a gathering spot for neighborhood kids to organize play time. A sidewalk is where dog walkers can controllably introduce the black Lab to the beagle. A sidewalk can be a place to pull the neighbor aside and ask about how their other neighbor is doing.

Of course, all of this benefit comes at a monetary expense. Sidewalks don’t build themselves, clear themselves and maintain themselves. As we’ve seen in Mankato and North Mankato recently, lots of property owners don’t want to pay for them if the sidewalk is going to run along their land.

It’s not unreasonable to question the removal of mature trees, or whether a new sidewalk would duplicate an existing one or if costs are too high. But homeowners who claim they can’t shovel a sidewalk in front of their house likely can get help from organizations like VINE or a willing neighbor. How do they tackle other household responsibilities such as lawn mowing, raking and other repairs?

Most neighborhoods have elementary schools. Some people claim kids don’t walk to school anymore anyway. But if you drive through school neighborhoods that have sidewalks, you’ll see plenty of kids walking home on them, as well as riding bikes, skateboards and scooters.

Cities are being forward-thinking when they require sidewalks in new housing developments. Adding existing sidewalks in established neighborhoods when improvements are being made or grant money is available also makes sense.

Before residents automatically balk at the idea of adding sidewalks, they need to evaluate what walkways will bring to their neighborhood. The Not Along My Yard mentality takes a toll when it sends pedestrians, especially the very young and the very old, into the streets.

 

— Mankato Free Press, April 4