The City of Kirksville recently approved a new mobility plan which will add a sidewalk along the entirety of Baltimore Street. While this addition is both necessary and beneficial to the infrastructure and transportation along one of Kirksville’s busiest streets, there is still more to be done.
We, The Index Editorial Board, believe the City of Kirksville’s plan is a great way to improve mobility, however, other streets within town are also in desperate need of sidewalks and sidewalk repairs. Many streets in Kirksville outside of Baltimore Street are without sidewalks or have sidewalks in very poor condition, preventing those with mobility issues and residents in general from traveling safely around town. While Baltimore Street might be considered the main street in Kirksville, other streets in town are just as deserving of safe sidewalks.
Residents of Kirksville utilize neighborhood streets just as much as Baltimore Street, and witnessing senior citizens and individuals with mobility issues struggle to safely travel down their local streets is an issue the City needs to address. There is a large population of elderly and mobility-inhibited individuals in Kirksville who deserve safe sidewalks that do not inhibit their mobility aids and their mobility in general. Nobody should have to walk in the street, and the lack of safe sidewalks within neighborhoods poses a safety issue among all Kirksville residents.
Baltimore Street, although a major street in town, is only one street which poses mobility issues, and we, The Index Editorial Board, believe City Council needs to give just as much attention to these neighborhood streets. Improvements to mobility need to extend to the entire city and not be limited to just one street. The residents of Kirksville, whether they have mobility issues or not, deserve to have a safe means of transportation around town, and the City needs to address additional sidewalk issues.