No Walking Allowed

1976 Words8 Pages
No Walking Allowed In Lawton, Oklahoma, the lack of sidewalks is a huge problem for the public that chooses to walk from place to place. This citywide problem has caused safety issues for many decades, making it difficult to walk to school, the transit stop, the store, or work. Try walking along the side of any of Lawton’s main streets or through most of Lawton’s older residential areas; in most cases it is extremely dangerous. Ask anyone who has attempted to walk through these areas; they can attest that they are taking their life into their own hands. The citizens who walk along Lawton’s main streets have worn paths through neighborhood yards and landscaped storefront areas. These footpaths make Lawton look run down and outdated. The Lawton city government and this community must come up with a plan to install sidewalks for Lawton’s citizens. The current city government cannot be the only one to blame. As written in Lawton A Centennial History, “Lawton faced many problems during its early years. In the first days, there were an estimated 25,000 people living in tents. There were no streets or sidewalks” (74). Lawton’s forefathers omitted sidewalks from city streets during the development of the city. When the older neighborhoods and main roads were first built, automobiles were the dominant mode of travel. This resulted in a very few sidewalks being installed. Some housing developments also had a lot of started and stopped sidewalks that were installed; making those areas look very tacky. As the city kept growing during the past hundred years, no one knew how large the community would grow. There were no codes or city ordinances in place to install or enforce areas that were being developed to construct any sidewalks. This is making the problem much worse today, as many citizens find that they must walk along the side of Lawton’s dilapidated roads. The City
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