On pedestrian-friendly sidewalks

From our office located along P. del Rosario Street, this city, I walked ON Junquera Street towards the University of the Visayas. This happened on a less busy weekday last week. If you noticed, I wrote the word ON in capital letters to emphasize that particular point. I was not on the sidewalk but, in fact, was actually walking on the road dangerously competing for space with motor vehicles and other pedestrians alike.

On one side of Junquera Street, abutting the premises of the University of San Carlos, the narrow sidewalk I used to tread on had vanished. In its place are operating some small- and medium-scale enterprises. On the other side of the street are short stretches of pavements of different widths. You can right away tell that each one of these spans is a frontage of individual private lands because they are of varying makes and unpredictable elevations, the highest of which is about two feet above its neighboring and therefore next sidewalk. In other words, the walkway is so uneven that old men, like me, run the higher risk of stumbling.

The situation caught my attention in a most horrifying manner. Deprived of the sidewalk, I stayed on the road only to be terrified by a near accident. A jeepney, traveling at breakneck speed, tried avoiding a pothole. In the process, it seemed to head in my direction and when the driver realized the impending accident, he swerved back the motor vehicle to its original lane. 

With that close call of a harrowing experience, I began to notice that in many parts of our city, sidewalks no longer exist. They have been taken over by hawkers, ambulant vendors, peddlers with makeshift over-head covers and structures either standing individually or attached as extensions to existing buildings. And the sidewalks that still exist are not ideal for walking. These conditions drive away the pedestrians to walk on the road instead.

It is about time that our city government places the safety of pedestrians in highest premium. Life, after all, ranks foremost in the constitutional hierarchy of values. Moves need be taken to restore the rights of people to use the sidewalks. For lack of a more thorough study, I can only imagine of harsh measures like confiscation of merchandise sold on the sidewalks as well as down right demolition of intruding structures. But, I am equally sure that City Hall authorities can think of better ways. They are paid people's money to do just that.

Perhaps, if only to be humane in approach, these vendors have to be relocated in as close a place as can possibly be to their areas of operation. For instance, the City Hall claimed that it already acquired, being the buyer in an alleged public bidding, the Citicenter building of Mr. Bal Falcone, in the heart of Kamagayan. In its present conditions, no one in his right mind may be persuaded to do business there. But, certainly, this structure can be spruced up to attract traders and customers alike. When the renovation shall have been accomplished, the Junquera and Sanciangco sidewalk occupants may be transferred there.

I am, at the same time, waiting for our city council to enact an ordinance that lays the foundation for making the sidewalk walker-friendly. Call it an exercise of police power because public good is the purpose even if it affects some rights of ownership. By this I mean that law shall be passed prescribing reasonable regulations on paving the sidewalk. It can be achieved, for example, when the width and gradation of the city sidewalks be mandated to be constructed even and level from one corner to the next. This will entail costs but there are many equitable ways to make the burden a shared responsibility. 

There are, at least, two things, clearing the sidewalks bring. It can save pedestrian lives first and second, the over-all image of the city shall be enhanced. To achieve this objective, the city officials urgently need to adopt measures. I can hardly wait to see how our officials react.

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