- 99 new sidewalks are a part of a county initiative to increase pedestrian safety.
- The plan has been in the works since 2014.
- Neighbors said this will increase safety.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Almost 100 new sidewalks are coming to neighborhoods near you.
The sidewalk on Chadwick Way in Killearn Lakes is one of the nine sidewalks to be completed through a county initiative.
Neighbors I spoke with said they have been needed for years.
Rafael Valdez spends a lot of time walking around his Killearn Estates neighborhood.
"I run a lot. I have a one year old son and me and my wife will take him on walks," Valdez said.
He said it is not the safest.
"Getting a stroller to a sidewalk is difficult with all of these cars driving real fast so not having a sidewalk, it's tough," Valdez said.
He is excited to see the county's plans to add a sidewalk to his street in Northeast Tallahassee.
"I think it's dangerous so I am extremely excited to see sidewalks put over here," Valdez said.
The project is one of 99 that is a part of the Sidewalk Priority Project, the county's plan to increase pedestrian safety and add 30 miles of sidewalk across the area.
24 of those sidewalks will be near schools, through a state initiative called the Safe Routes To Schools program.
Not everyone was thrilled about the project.
"I didn't like it," said David Speak, a Killearn Lakes resident.
Speak has lived off of Chadwick Way for years.
He was not excited about the sidewalk that went in on his street a few years ago.
"They're taking part of my yard, they're changing the thing so it has a steeper slope so the run off might be a problem, losing privacy," Speak said.
After a couple of years, Speak has grown to like the sidewalk.
"I got a little dog to keep my exercise up after I retired and walking him is probably a little easier."
Valdez said he will also enjoy the sidewalk that goes in off of his street.
"With a sidewalk, I feel like that would make me more comfortable as a homeowner," Valdez said.
The next sidewalks to be built include off of Miccosukee and Edenfield Roads.
