Sidewalks

[Niagara]

The lack of sidewalks along Center Road and Clinton Street is a repeating topic in the WS Bee.

I am writing about the lack of sidewalks on Clinton Street...I am concerned that someone is going to be hurt and maybe even killed...I see people running, jogging, and walking down the street all the time.
We should have some type of fundraiser to help pay for this, so the town could put in sidewalks as soon as possible..

This sounds like an admirable thought except that Clinton Street is three plus miles just from Union to Transit, and another unknown number of miles from Union to city line. It is not likely that a fundraiser would do it since we're talking maybe twenty miles of sidewalks plus the cost of filling in any open ditches along the way. Of course that is just on Clinton Street because it would not be fair to just sidewalk Clinton Street, all WS streets would need upgrading.
Of course then there is the issue of mantainence which is covered in another letter:

Not clearing your sidewalks of snow has been a problem in West Seneca for many years now, and I have found that some people just don't seem to care about their side walks anymore...
To solve this problem, I believe a fine of $50 should be given to the homeowner if he or she is caught with his or her sidewalk not cleared. This would encourage more people in WS to shovel the snow off their sidewalks...

I would respond that I have not heard of anyone getting injured walking along the roads in question. I think the ditches are much easier to mantain than pipes where debris might be caught. I like the country appearance of much of West Seneca streets because they are without sidewalks. I think that people do not run or jog sidewalks because they are less even than the street. The cost of mantainence and repair would be the homeowner's even if the initial placement cost was the town's or county's. Clinton Street is a town road, and Center Road is a county road. The cost would be enormous, a fundraiser would not cover it, and different governments would have to agree to it. The most damning reason for not wanting sidewalks is the the last letter...sidewalk police. Fifty dollars fines per incident, and of course not payable by check. Only cash payments accepted at town hall.

[Tree_hugger29]

WS is missing the boat. a not shovling law is nice rev for buffalo. it's endless work for highway department. put in sidewalks, watch taxes hard at work for a change.