La Crosse has some work to do to be pedestrian-friendly

Spring is here and that means we will be spending more time outside. For many, that means walking and biking more. But in La Crosse it is becoming increasingly harder to be a pedestrian. Many drivers don’t respect the crosswalk rules, leaving pedestrians in danger. It’s not entirely their fault though. The city has done a poor job of ensuring La Crosse’s crosswalks are well marked. The white lines designating the crosswalks have become so faded that some of them are nearly impossible to recognize. La Crosse likes to bill itself as pedestrian-friendly, but is it? A pedestrian-friendly city would take steps to ensure people can cross the street safely. A little paint would help, making sure the crosswalk markings are more visible. But so would the flashing yellow lights you see at some crosswalks, like those near Gundersen and the WTC campus. Drivers tend to respect the crosswalks more when they are more clearly brought to their attention. It was last summer La Crosse repaved part of Fourth Street at the intersection of King Street. All these months later, and the city still hasn’t bothered to repaint the crosswalk markings. Good luck trying to get cars to stop for you there. The city should spend a few bucks on some paint, and maybe some flashing lights if it really wants to be considered pedestrian-friendly.