8 replies to this topic

[swede]

wondering if anybody has received the do you want sidewalks in old town survey from public works yet old town does not need concrete all over the place

[camay2327]

That is the idea of the survey. I think the last city council meeting they said they would try to find out if the people in old town wanted sidewalks.

To keep the speeds down on Sibley street, they talked about painting bike paths and possibly putting sidewalks there. That way it would cut down the width of the car lane to I think 11 feet.

It was to try and help traffic calming.

If any questions on this email your city council members / mayor...

[mylo]

Nope, haven't received the survey. It's an interesting debate, and I'm not quite sure where we stand.

We go for walks all the time, and sidewalks would be nice. I agree they would cut down on the traffic a bit (people seem to drive slower in smaller lanes) and they certainly look "cleaner". However they would detract from the "way things were".. this area is nice and peacefull already (I don't live anywhere near the traffic and I'm not sure sidewalks would really help maintain the rural comfortable feeling we all enjoy today.

What other arguments are there pro/con sidewalks?

[Orangetj]

IMO, sidewalks would be a welcome addition throughout Folsom. To me, having sidewalks would make it MUCH safer to walk along some of these streets, particularly on Sibley. In turn, being able to walk around town, lends a homey, small-town feeling to an area. I live at Sibley and Lembi and would love to be able to put my daughter in her stroller and walk to old Folsom. As it is now, I can't safely do that as we would have to walk on the roadway. Old Sacramento (i.e. all of the older downtown/midtown areas) has sidewalks everywhere and it is very nice to be able to walk around town. Perhaps we would have a greater sense of community if people could actually walk through and enjoy the historic heart of Folsom.

Personally, I think decent sidewalks look better than just having lawns & dirt run right to the edge of the road. Also, if you look at the actual center of old Folsom - Sutter Street - what do you see? Sidewalks.

My question is what are people's concerns about having sidewalks? Do people just not like the look? Don't want people walking around the neighborhood? Safety? I'm genuinely curious.

OrangeTJ

[Orangetj]

That way it would cut down the width of the car lane to I think 11 feet.

It was to try and help traffic calming.

Hmmm....Sibley is already one of the narrowest streets in town and people are more than happy to speed on it. Somehow, I don't think this would have much impact on speeds. It would, however, give pedestrians a safe place to walk to avoid being hit by said inconsiderate speeders.

OrangeTJ

[bordercolliefan]

I don't understand people's objection to sidewalks. Some of the HD people complain about their children being unsafe due to traffic -- yet they refuse to consider installing sidewalks!! Sidewalks are the #1 key to pedestrian (particularly children's) safety-- much more effective than striping, partial road closures, speed bumps, etc.

Sidewalks also add immensely to quality of life. They enable one to stroll a baby down the street in a relaxed fashion... teach a toddler to ride a tricycle... walk a dog without constantly watching your back.

I suppose they do reduce people's front lawn footage a bit, but they add a walk and play area that is much more enjoyable than that few extra feet of front lawn.

I'm sure the city can zig-zag the sidewalk if necessary to avoid any nice old trees that might be in the way...

The bottom line is, as a non-HD resident, I find it very hard to take seriously residents' complaints about pedestrian safety if they won't agree to install sidewalks...

[Orangetj]

Reading Bordercolliefan's post made me think of something - perhaps some of the residents are concerned that by installing sidewalks, the city is hoping to sidestep the very real traffic volume and speed problems of the area, which cause excessive noise pollution, litter, unsafe driving conditions for residents, and other quality of life detractors. Rather than address those issues, perhaps people are concerned that the city could just point to the sidewalks and say "hey...at least you've got sidewalks so you can avoid being hit by one of the 8,000 cars a day that go by your house".

My opinion is that sidewalks would be great, provided that the city continues to work to address the traffic problems of the area.

[bordercolliefan]

Valid point, Orangetj.

I wasn't suggesting that the city could install sidewalks and then wash its hands of the traffic problems. --Just that sidewalks would ensure pedestrian safety, while the other traffic measures have comparatively little effect on pedestrian safety.

[Cloud9]

I guess the pedestrian can drive to where there's a sidewalk....