The town is required to mark hazards on sidewalks through the community. It is a requirement for a safe and beautiful community. The fluorescent orange is attractive even when it is hidden by the brown leaves that have fallen. The circles, straight lines, crooked lines marking every sidewalk break are in themselves a work of art. The green growth reaching up through the cracks making it impossible to paint also warn pedestrians of hazards to trip over. One sees a collection of abstract work interweaving weeds, gravel, concrete and spray paint and sometimes asphalt.
The hospital tracks falls that result in visits to the emergency department. In Fort Frances, falls among seniors is one of the largest issues faced by our community’s aging population. Broken wrists, legs and hips keep our doctors busy and place increasing costs on families. It is also a cost on retail businesses when shoppers can’t leave their home to shop for groceries.
First impressions in a community are visual, as strangers are routed through residential areas to avoid construction in summer. Unsightly weeds growing on main street may cause those passing through the community to wonder how well the community is maintained and how well infrastructure is looked after. Even residents are left to ponder how determined the community’s leaders are trying to make a good first impression on visitors.
A walk-through older section of Fort Frances will quickly tell councillors, managers and administrators that more consideration must be given to pedestrian walkways. The work of public works employees to mark all the hazards found in our sidewalks will make it easier for those leaders to determine how unsafe our walkways are.
And when winter comes, all the broken sidewalks are hidden waiting for spring thaws that fill the low spots with ice and water and increase the hazards of walking.
Sidewalks are not glamorous. They are essential for kids to use to get to schools. They are essential for all to move about the community. They are expensive to replace, but for the safety of residents those repairs and replacements are necessary. Just painting the cracks, breaks and uneven walks is not a long-term solution.
Council must give more consideration to fix our sidewalks, even if it means asking homeowners to bear some of the costs for the walkways in front of their homes.
