The One Thousand-Piece Puzzle

            The city of Meridian is one of the fastest growing cities in Idaho. Residential neighborhoods are quickly taking over the last of the rural community in the city. Shopping centers, restaurants, businesses, and schools are being built to accommodate the expanding population. With all this new construction, more and more sidewalks were added to encourage pedestrian activity. With the increase in automotive traffic these sidewalks pose as a safe and useful walkway. But just how safe and useful are the sidewalks of Meridian?

            On evaluating the sidewalks of Meridian, safety and usefulness are the most important aspects to look at. A safe walkway is one that does not pose a danger or hazard to pedestrians. These dangers or hazards include large cracks or missing pieces in the sidewalk that could cause someone to trip and fall. Sidewalk usefulness is another important factor, which is based on whether or not it allows a steady flow of pedestrian movement. Usefulness of sidewalk can be related to the safety. A useful sidewalk safely creates a flow of pedestrian activity. Sidewalk that does not continue near a busy road for instance, stops the smooth flow of pedestrians and creates an unsafe crossing at that road.

            After traveling through downtown Meridian, it is easy to identify the new residential areas and the old ones. The new houses are not easy to identify by the style of the houses or by the color of the grass, but rather the sidewalks. The new residential areas have clean, undamaged sidewalks. They seem to invite a pedestrian to walk on them with their pathways surrounded by green grass and trees. The old sidewalks, however, have a worn down look that scares homebuyers away. Oftentimes the sidewalk is pushed up by roots or cracked by old age. There are even a few locations near Main Street in downtown Meridian with grass and weeds growing on top of the sidewalks!

            Many old residential areas in Meridian don’t have sidewalks at all. This is a big concern for the recently built Sawtooth Middle School off Linder between Ustick and McMillan. The sidewalk connecting the middle school to the surrounding areas is non-existent. Children who live two blocks away are taking the bus until a sidewalk is constructed because they cannot walk to school safely. The shoulder of the road drops off steeply and is full of rocks and other debris. The traffic is also very busy on the nearby roads, especially at the intersection of Linder and Ustick. Currently there are no plans to build a section of sidewalk connecting the school with the neighborhoods.

            Another area of danger for pedestrians is the Meridian Road Bridge over I-84. This bridge is a four-lane overpass without a pedestrian crossing. The problem increased in recent years with the opening of Boondocks and Roaring Springs. Children and teenagers often walk over the bridge to these entertainment centers. A few years ago, news stations took note of these kids walking on the bridge and tried to inform every one of the physical and legal dangers. These publicity efforts did not stop pedestrian travel over the bridge, and the Ada County Highway District has no future plans of expanding the bridge for a pedestrian path.

Problems at the Meridian Road Bridge are not limited to the entertainment centers on the South side. There are a number of restaurants, shopping centers, hair salons, and hotels on the North side. With all the new residential areas South of I-84 in Meridian, it doesn’t surprise me that everyday I see someone walking over the bridge. This bridge is also the only connection between the residential areas and downtown Meridian for a mile in either direction. With traffic increasing every year in Meridian, the likelihood of a pedestrian injury or worse fatality is getting dangerously high.

The Meridian Bridge was built many years ago, and so was the Meridian Raceway. The raceway is located just a mile North of the Meridian Bridge. There is a very distinct similarity between both structures: no sidewalk. The Meridian Raceway is a gathering place for many race fans and spectators alike. It is a center for pedestrian activity on many nights, and only one path exists between the speedway and the road. It consists of a curb and a dirt path close enough to the road to create a hazard for anyone walking on it. Especially for those people that buy alcoholic beverages while watching the races. Another problem with this pathway is that it does not connect to any walkway outside of the complex. This creates a separation from the park next to the speedway.

After spending a day walking around downtown Meridian and some of the surrounding areas, I noticed a pattern that is consistent with much of the city. Any time a new building or subdivision is built, a sidewalk is built as well. The sidewalk from newer construction ends at the property line of an old house or building. This problem creates huge gaps in the walkways of urban areas. It resembles a five thousand-piece puzzle with every other piece removed. The City of Meridian desperately needs more sidewalk to finish the massive puzzle of pedestrian walkways, and needs the Ada County Highway District’s help. Good sidewalks that fill the gaps would create safer pedestrian activity and make Meridian a better place to live.