Construction and maintenance of sidewalks is one of the most basic responsibilities of any city government. But generations of Charlottesville city leaders have neglected this mundane yet absolutely essential job. The Little High neighborhood association and many neighborhood residents have been asking city officials for years to help make our neighborhood more walkable by building more and better sidewalks. We’re still waiting.
Providing for this basic infrastructure need is especially important now because of the City’s pledge to sharply reduce carbon emissions within just a few years and because the new zoning plan will increase housing density. More people mean more cars no matter what the pious wishes of city leaders may be and more cars and more people mean it’s no longer going to be safe to walk in the roadways as we have long been accustomed to doing. The slideshow below highlights the many areas of our neighborhood where sidewalks don’t exist, end abruptly, or are inadequate and not compliant with ADA standards (among other things, ADA standards require sidewalks to be a minimum of 3 feet wide).
East Market Street where it intersects with 10th and 11th streets
The local K-12 public school year begins Wednesday, August 24 and this year is going to be a little different: due to the bus driver shortage, there will be about 800 more kids walking and biking to school this year and this is particularly risky because Charlottesville City government has long given low priority to basic infrastructure needs like good sidewalks and bike lanes.
