Halloween shows city’s sidewalk shortcomings

Vandalia has a sidewalk problem.
Though it’s an issue that’s been noted by city officials before, driving around on Halloween night underscored the dangerous conditions to which our pedestrians are subjected.
Young trick-or-treaters swarmed in the streets all along Locust Street and up Shelley Drive. And even though the trunk-or-treat event in the parking lot of Sunset Plaza was off the road, parking and pedestrian traffic on Sunset made it truly scary to drive through that area.
Throughout town, scores of children – many dressed in dark, hard-to-see costumes – walked in the street as they went from house to house.
All of the major east-west streets in the city’s northwest quadrant – Randolph, Jefferson and Fillmore streets – have significant stretches with no sidewalks. And Sunset has none. That situation forces pedestrians to share the road with vehicles, which is a recipe for disaster.
We understand that the city’s current fiscal situation doesn’t allow much hope that significant sidewalk projects will be undertaken anytime soon. And we recall that – in better times – the council had begun a sidewalk construction and repair project.
Nevertheless, we must continue to search for a way to make progress on some of the most dangerous streets.
Are there grants available? Are there inexpensive alternatives to concrete sidewalks – at least as a temporary fix? With the schools concentrated in that northwest quadrant, there are disproportionate numbers of pedestrians on those streets.
We must do what we can to keep our children safe – not only on Halloween, but on every day of the year.
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