Include pedestrians in downtown plans

I read with interest the consultant’s suggested plans to improve traffic in downtown West Palm Beach.

As a resident and business owner of a property at One City Plaza, I would suggest that the city give more consideration to pedestrians.

The other day I walked to Restoration Hardware for lunch. There is no clear, clean, direct sidewalk path from Olive Avenue past Dixie Highway, over the railroad tracks to the store. And I passed several homeless people who have apparently set up living quarters on the way.

While I feel compassion for these folks, it is not only dangerous for them to be so close to these very busy east/west streets, but they also block the path of pedestrians going to CityPlace and the Palm Beach County Convention Center. It does not support the downtown plan that Assistant City Administrator Scott Kelly endorsed saying, “we want it to be safe, reliable, and we want it to be fun.”

At this point, pedestrians are not safe, reliably free to walk everywhere; and it certainly isn’t fun yet.

While adding a 100-mile network of bicycle lanes is a great idea, there are those of us who will continue to walk and would like to do so with ease and safety. This can be remedied fairly quickly while the bicyclists wait for their bike lanes. SALLY KIMBALL, WEST PALM BEACH