From The Topeka Capital-Journal, discussing the state of the city’s sidewalk system, and what it means to people who rely on them to travel safely around the community:

Traffic hums along at 40 mph at S.W. Huntoon and McAlister on Topeka’s west side, and Don Robinson looks for his break.

Robinson’s head darts back and forth, scanning traffic on S.W. Huntoon from the east and west, as he looks for a clearing so he can cross the five-lane street in his motorized wheelchair.

On this Tuesday morning, he only needs to wait about a minute before he sets sail.

Other days, the wait is much longer, and with heavier traffic, crossing the street is much more dangerous.

Such is the life for Robinson and others in wheelchairs who not only have to contend with traffic but also whatever sidewalk conditions they are dealt.

“No, I don’t feel safe at all,” he said. “Especially at an intersection where people can turn right on a red light — or those where people can turn left at a green light after the traffic has cleared — because all they’re looking for is if the traffic has cleared.”

Robinson and others in wheelchairs say navigating around town is even more difficult in neighborhoods that don’t have sidewalks.

Complicating matters, some sidewalks may not be equipped with curb cuts, making going from one block to the next a difficult — if not impossible — proposition.

Mike McGee, Topeka’s deputy director of public works and ADA coordinator, said the city doesn’t have a sidewalk construction program at this time, meaning no plans for new sidewalks are on the table. Sidewalks are apparently “not at the top of the city’s priority list” and “many neighborhoods still don’t have sidewalks and may never get them”.

Read more: Wheelchair-bound Topekans ‘don’t feel safe’ on city’s sidewalks