partarican1, where did you get the 17ft rule? Most roads are 4 rod roads (66ft--33ft each side of the centerline of the road) but there are some town roads that are 3 rods (49ft AND 6" with 24ft AND 9" each side of the centerline of the road.) I've never heard of your 17ft description and I've been involved with road plans for 20 something years.

the council meeting was last night at 7pm.

17 feet from the center of every road is owned by the DOT. That includes your front lawn.

a couple of comments:
1. newer subdivisions require the developer to fund the cost of the proposed sidewalks. The developer (naturally) passes this cost along to the homeowner by raising the cost of all the lots in division. This works fine if the city plan has sidewalks being installed on BOTH sides.
However, what happens 10 years after the subdivision is complete and somebody complains about not having sidewalk on the one side? I believe that the homeowner now has to pay if the city approves the new sidewalk request. This is hardly fair since it forces the homeowners to pay twice (once with the higher initial cost of the lot and a second time to install a sidewalk that was not originally on the city plan when the developer paid into the fund). All lots should have sidewalks. Funding should come out of the general fund and NOT be paid for directly by the homeowner.
2. bebe19284: I like having a nice lawn as much as anybody. However, sidewalks and not placed on private property. Your property line is actually about 6" to a foot closer to your house from where a sidewalk would normally go. That grass is not really yours and people can walk where a sidewalk would normally go (even if the sidewalk is not actually there)

By the way, the article mentions a public hearing but gave no date. When is it scheduled for?

We need sidewalks but at the expense of the city, not the taxpayers. People need to walk and bike more and drive less. Replacing bad sidewalks should be the priority here instead of making new ones. Not everyone in town has a car, and it is very difficult to get around the north end of town on foot. If they want new sidewalks, they should put them in near the HWY 14, HWY 26 & I 90 area where people walk/bike in the road all the time; very dangerous.

I live on a street with heavy traffic and has sidewalks on both side of the road. But still every morning there are at least four people walking on the road. Two are woman and two are men older people not kids. Now I am suppose to give them the right of way when I am backing out of my driveway I do look both ways when approaching the sidewalk and the road. Yet one morning I almost hit a guy he came from nowhere. He slammed his hand on my car and dented it. I got out said I was sorry I did not see him; he replied he crossed from the other side of the street to mine so no I would not have seen him. The point is both driver and pedestrian need to be careful. By the way dent in my trunk was not worthy of his time. So maybe next time it won’t be just a dent everyone has to look out for the other. And I have not paid for my sidewalk yet but I will have to.

I live in a newer neighborhood that had sidewalks paid for by the developer, thankgoodness. What I can't understand is that there are 3 consecutive properties, with occupied homes (mine included) that do not have sidewalk in yet. We recevied notice in June, with a May deadline, that we had the option to do it ourself and the city would refund. That notice also stated that they sidewalk would have been installed by now. Some of you see the sidewalk as a 'WANT', instead of a need or that the grass should be used if no sidewalk available....let me say this: DON'T WALK ON MY GRASS! 1 - is not appreciated, I don't trample your gardens and 2 - chemicals are likely to be present. As for not being needed. My 2 year old son sure would like a place to learn to ride his bike. Since our driveway slants WAY to much, it's not safe for him to play. I have to wonder what the council has done with this pre-paid money and why my sidewalk isn't poured yet?!!? And don't think for ONCE I'm going to spend my own dime on this. It's done, bought and paid for. Who's to say I'd EVER see a dime of reimbursement!?!?!?

It's funny how every time somebody posts on here pointing out the lack of common sense people have in this city, that person is the one that gets attacked. Charming.

I am also a pedestrian and if there is no sidewalk available I walk in the road. I ALWAYS make an effort to stay as close to the curb as I can. There are a lot of drivers that don't move over for me and I end up stepping up on the curb to avoid them. I'm already NEXT TO the curb when this happens. The streets I am on are streets that allow parking at the curb. It's not like I'm walking along the curb on E. Milwaukee where there are two lanes in each direction. If there is a sidewalk, I am on it, even if it means crossing the street to get to it. It doesn't take a lot of effort to do that. I am not too lazy to drive around pedestrians, but why should I have to drive in the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid these people or stop in my lane completely because a car is coming from the opposite direction and the walkers could care less that they are in my way and then I risk getting rear-ended. Just a litle common sense from the pedestrians. How hard is it to be aware of your surroundings when walking in the road and to at least appear to try to stay out of the way of traffic?

Yes, Please don't walk on the road cause spikesmom is too lazy to turn the steering wheel 3 inches to avoid hitting you.

spikesmom - Motorists ALSO need to remember that they have to share the road with pedestrians. The "respect" street goes both ways (so to speak).

It just seems to be a no-brainer to use a sidewalk when one can actually be found. Doesn't it just seem safer than walking a few feet from moving vhicles? There are a lot of high traffic streets that have no sidewalks, which makes no sense to me, like Skyview Drive between Wright Rd. (where there is dangerous, hilly blind curve, by the way) and Wuthering Hills Drive. Lots of side roads in town that don't have sidewalks can probably get away without having any since there isn't a whole lot of traffic. Poeple have the right to walk in the street if they want to, but it would be nice if they could just remember that they need to share the road with the cars the road was actually built for. If I need to move out of the way for them in my car then they need to give me the same respect. Don't walk 3-wide 6 feet away from the curb when there is oncoming traffic.

Rules and pointers for pedestrians and drivers
The most important safety tip to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities is to pay attention. You can significantly reduce your chances of being in a collision with a motor vehicle by obeying traffic rules and being aware of dangers posed by cars in your vicinity. Make eye contact with drivers if possible and make sure that they can see you.

Both drivers and pedestrians have certain safety responsibilities that depend on both circumstances and common sense.

Drivers must:
*Yield to pedestrians when crossing a sidewalk or entering an alley or driveway
*Yield to pedestrians who have started crossing at an intersection or crosswalk on a “walk” signal or a green light, if there is no walk signal
*Yield to pedestrians who are crossing the highway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection where there are no traffic lights or control signals
*Not overtake and pass any vehicle that stops at an intersection or crosswalk to permit a pedestrian or bicyclist to cross the roadway safely
Pedestrians must:
*Yield to drivers when crossing a road where there is no intersection or crosswalk or where the pedestrian does not have a green or “walk” signal and where vehicles have a green signal
*Not suddenly move into the path of a closely approaching vehicle that does not have sufficient time to yield for a pedestrian
*Walk on and along the left side of a highway when not walking on a sidewalk. Note: This law does not apply to bicycles. Bicycles operate under the same laws as other legal vehicles on the road and should always stay on the right side of the road.
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I could not find anywhere where it said that pedestrians MUST walk on a sidewalk if present.
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http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/moto...

I'm sorry but if three people are walking side-by-side-by-side along the side of the road when they could be using the sidewalk that is available along that road, in order to get around all of them and give them enough room I would be in the opposite lane of traffic. That is not really safe for me or for the oncoming driver. If people want to walk in the street instead of using the sidewalk then they need to be the ones that make the effort to get out of the way of traffic. But then again, this is Janesville and these are the same idiots that just walk out into traffic at the E. Milw. bike crossing and don't even bother to attempt to give traffic a chance to notice them and stop. This whole Janesville, population 1, is getting a little old. Common sense and respect would be really nice to see. if people have no other choice but to walk in the road, I will give them extra room, as long as they are not taking advantage of it and they realize that the road is for cars too and that it's easier for them to get out of the way of traffic. I doubt I am ever going to kill anyone. You, as a utility worker, don't need to worry. i'm not going to run you over. I ALWAYS move over and slow down for any emergency vehicles, construction workers, etc. Back off.

"I tend not to give walkers a lot of extra room when I go by them in my car if there is a usable sidewalk"
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And the people walking are probably thinking, "I'm not going to cross the street to get out of the way of that car because there are other usable streets it could drive on."
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And on and on... where does the madness stop?
:-)

"I tend not to give walkers a lot of extra room when I go by them in my car if there is a usable sidewalk"

That has got to be the most ignorant statement I have ever read. Its people like you that drive me nuts. Basically you put someones life at risk because they choose to walk somewhere you feel isn't appropriate. As a utility worker people like you are my worst enemy. Someday you will hit and kill someone and maybe then you will understand how stupid you sound.

Drive down Wuthering Hills Drive once. There is a sidewalk on only one side of the street. You would not believe the number of people that walk in the street opposite the sidewalk because they are too lazy to walk ALL THE WAY over to where the sidewalk is. I tend not to give walkers a lot of extra room when I go by them in my car if there is a usable sidewalk right there for them to ues but they refuse to. If i drive my car on the sidewalk I will most likely get a ticket. How about ticketing pedestrians for walking in the road if there is a sidewalk available for them to use? That should raise enough money to pay for all the sidewalks that are still needed.

This is always going to be an arguement on this topic. I have a sidewalk and love the fact that I do. My kids play they are safe on their bikes away from traffic which OUR police do nothing about because we are not by a bar. I maintain them its a pain on a snowy day but whatever, the positives outweight the negatives. The truth is, there is a law on the books that require sidewalks. I agree with that law. If you buy a home and are not informed then shame on you when they come to put in the sidewalks. If you knew then sutup, its comming. I believe we need more, esspecially in the Prarie Woods subdivision. they fly down the road the cops do nothing despite constant complaints, so put the walks in on both sides of the street and be done with it. HOWEVER, quit flicking your butts in my yard and pick up your dogs crap, because I have followed you home and thrown it back in your yard your mailbox is next, you know who you are.

Hey Macdaddy how about getting sidewalks if you have kids in your neighborhood that have to walk in the street because of no sidewalks which you do or what if there are handicap people in your neighborhood which there are. Move to the country if you dont want sidewalks. If you live in the city you should have sidewalks EVERYONE.

maybe i am in the minority, but i do not see sidewalks as a value to a property. I see it as a hindrance. you have to shovel it, and take responsibility for people using it, maintain them, and in a house where i used to live that had sidewalks, we had more trash because people litter and it goes in my yard rather than the street.
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they cause more headaches. there should be a clause that if your house was built more than 10 years ago without sidewalks, you do not have to install them unless, you have a bus route (which i don't), a school within 1/2 mile (which i don't), or near the blind school (which i am not). Otherwise they should have been installed in the very beginning to come back 30 years later or more and now say you need to install them and give the city more money is ludicrous. Just my opinion.

insgal - Sidewalks are not a want they are a need. The sidewalk policy right now makes the property owner pay for the sidewalks. I have already paid for mine, but my neighbors across the street who do not have one get to use mine for free. They also get to complain when they are not shoveled in the winter. However, they do not have to shoulder the burden of the maintenance nor the cost. If sidewalks were required for everyone and paid for by the city, the cost would be spread over all taxpayers. The same argument you use could be said for any service that the city now provides.

Are sidewalks and curb & gutter assessed as improvements when determining property values? If that is the case, the city would be increasing its tax base by ordering in all of these sidewalks with little or no monetary expense to the city. Is this a scheme to raise more taxes?

As City Manager Levitt explained during a recent council meeting, sidewalks, curbs and gutters are assessed against the property because the value accrues to the property. A larger property has more sidewalk, but also more benefit.

I give the Council credit for a smart decision to scale back the sidewalk plan in these hard economic times.

justsome1here --so you would rather everyone share in the cost of something not needed. Want vs need! Sounds like you must be interested in paying more taxes. I am not! We are all paying extra taxes for unneeded school buildings that are going to be empty. I am not interested in paying anymore taxes. When Obama gets done w/all of his initiatives we are all going to be paying so much more tax for the rest of our born days! Thank you City Government officials for being cost sensitive during these tough economic times. NO MORE unnecessary spending--we are in a recession!

I agree, sidewalks should be paid for and maintained by the city. That way every street would have a sidewalk and every taxpayer would have to share the burden of the cost and maintenance.

I praise our City Council for thinking about the resident homeowners. There are too many houses for sale; empty businesses and soon to be empty schools. With our fellow citizens voting for the 70+ million dollar referendum a few years ago; with GM closing and its trickle down effect; and with our State government spending like they have all the money in the world; it is great to see our Janeville City officials taking stances. I am also thankful that our School Board is cutting expenses as well. We ALL have to be more money conscious, so should our government. WALK on the GRASS! If you need to get a work out, maybe the empty schools can be rented out or used by the tax payers!

This was a bad idea two years ago. What about the people who were forced to do this then? They have to still pay for them in these hard times too. Sidewalks should have been paid for by the city, then they would have only been put where they are really needed. Janesville wants to keep up and follow Madison, like these stupid bike lanes that nobody uses. Oh by the way they are wanting to build more bike trails. It doesn't make sense to me, right now at all.

Keep in mind too that people do have ti take to the street when walking in winter months when the sidewalks that are in place are NOT shoveled or covered with ice.

Every street in the city should have a sidewalk.

As long as there's one across the street so that people can walk on one side of the street or another shouldn't be a priority.. Many areas like on Arch between Rockport and Court without any sidewalk on either side of the street. Needs to be implemented in those situtations first.

It sure would be nice if this city would have a consistent policy for sidewalks. Instead Janesville is a city full of sidewalks that lead nowhere. It is not equitable for a city to burden some of the residents of that city with the cost and maintenance of the sidewalks so all residents – even those who have not paid for sidewalks – may use them. Every street in the city should have a sidewalk.

Sidewalks sure do not seem to be a priority. Joggers use the street, everyone else drives. They seem to be there for someone else to shovel. Why have them at all?

No kidding sidewalks are a convenience not a necessity

When will the city ever come to its' senses and put sidewalks, curb and gutter construction as part of the general fund? It would alleviate 98% of the problems related to these issues.

BTW I don't need your "support". I have my neighbors who support me already (the same ones you're rallying for). So please stay out of our neighborhood and we'll stay out of yours.

Actively hostile? me? Hannah you are right, it is more.... total is just shy of $8000.
JansVILLAIN, you should really know what you are talking about before you spew trash about somebody. There was a HUGE uproar in my neighborhood about the proposed sidewalks. My neighbors are primarily senior citizens who live on fixed income who ALSO have to put sidewalks in. I'll pass the message along to them that you rather have them starve and have no electricity so you can walk on a sidewalk rather than in our peaceful street.

Too bad people like exFIB are actively hostile to the community. I can at least understand an argument that the assessment is an extra expense that is difficult to pay for, but I can't support selfish residents who think that their neighbors are safer walking in the street.

About time the council came to their senses. They wanted to put sidewalks on my corner lot and have me pay for half of it.
The only thing my house has survived just nicely for 87 years without them, why bother now?
New construction though should have them.