La Crosse needs to work harder to be pedestrian friendly

Work is finally underway on the reconstruction of La Crosse Street. This is a project that has been on the DOT’s planning list for some 20 years. Part of the project will include more safety features for pedestrians including flashing lights and safer crossings. That is long overdue. No doubt the reconstruction of South Avenue will see that street providing more protections for pedestrians. But the city of La Crosse really isn’t all that pedestrian friendly. Many of the white lines to denote pedestrian crossings are so worn they are practically invisible to drivers and don’t offer much protection to those crossing the street. At the busy intersection of Fourth and King streets, workers tore up the street for some repairs nearly a year ago, but never bothered to repaint the crosswalks. There are no white lines to alert drivers to slow down. Good luck getting drivers to slow down there. It shouldn’t take that long to put a few strips of paint down there. And while they’re at it, they should examine all of the major crosswalks in the city to see if they too need a fresh coat of paint. La Crosse Street will be safer when the current work is done, but the city shouldn’t wait until the state decides it is time to redo a road before making sure the crosswalks are visible.