Our sidewalk problem

Hot Springs’ sidewalk ordinances have been in place since January 1948. They put the onus on property owners to build and maintain sidewalks, but do not specifically require sidewalks. Over the years this has developed into a totally nonstandardized, hard-to-navigate system of sidewalks. The ordinances do allow the city to order the building of sidewalks, but evidently this is not a priority at all (drive down virtually any street in the neighborhoods and see how long a given sidewalk goes).

My wife and I are primarily pedestrians and we have three children. We’ve always found it horrible having to walk in the streets with cars or walk on people’s property. I make OK money and I spend nearly all of it here in town. Something needs to be done about this, for several reasons:

1. The obesity epidemic will not improve if people do not see a convenient way to walk where they are going.

2. Public safety. My wife has been struck by more than one car at low speed while trying to navigate the streets.

I do not advocate that homeowners and business owners should be responsible for this. I see this responsibility as an extension of regular city maintenance and do not believe it should require an increase in tax burden, but that can be meted out among the city board. Homeowners who did not want the city to build the sidewalks could be given a grace period to build them on their own.

There is more to this city than the downtown area and, in general, the rest of the city is disrespected and served poorly, if at all.