This is a good issue for me, because for the past six years I've been working to make city streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. When it wasn't popular, I requested that the City do the following: Raise crosswalks and widen sidewalks to protect pedestrians from passing cars; add or repair signage, such as Pedestrian Crossing signs, at heavily traversed intersections; create or widen bike paths; and add thermoplastic crosswalks, which are highly reflective and slip-resistant. Despite much opposition, I've made safe sidewalks a signature project. Through my pushing, the City has installed more than 50 of the thermoplastic crosswalks. Already we're seeing the savings. Because thermoplastic sidewalks have a life expectancy of four to five years, we're saving on labor and paint. Painted sidewalks have to be re-marked twice a year. We're also not seeing slip-and-fall lawsuits with thermoplastics, which can't be said of painted sidewalks, which become slick in rain and snow. A year ago I put a resolution before the council to further improve pedestrian and bicycle traffic. This has never been a trendy or green issue for me so much as it has been an ongoing, practical, needs-based problem that should be followed to preserve and protect the public safety of Medford citizens.
