By: Catherine Williams

Fort Collins, Colo.- How can sidewalks benefit the everyday citizen? Sidewalks provide protection for all citizens as they walk from place to place. The benefits of sidewalks can be seen through their tremendous impact on the number of injuries and deaths due to pedestrian and automobile-related accidents, but also the decreased risk of numerous health problems.

In this article on pedestrian safety, the FHWA noted that “sidewalks can help to prevent up to 88 percent of crashes involving pedestrians walking along (not crossing) roadways”. Their research showed that sidewalks not only reduce crashes involving walking along a road, but also sideswipes, head-on collisions, and fixed object crashes. Good sidewalks not only protect citizens from the dangers of cars, but well paved sidewalks will also prevent common everyday injuries like trips and falls.

Downtown Sidewalks in Fort Collins, CO. Photo by: Peggy Lyle

In UMD’s article on the impacts of sidewalks on citizens’ health, their study showed that features like sidewalks that improve the walkability of an area, reduce the risk of mental health problems like depression. This study also showed reduced risks of physical health problems like obesity and high blood pressure. The more walkable an area, specifically neighborhood areas, the less likely residents are to have these health problems.

How does Fort Collins, Colorado, fall on this issue of sidewalk infrastructure? Though Fort Collins already has fairly good sidewalks, they see where they are struggling and focus on problem areas to improve. Their sidewalk improvement project highlights poor and missing sidewalks across the city that need to be repaired. According to the Coloradoan, Fort Collins’ “sidewalk program receives about $350,000 a year through the Keep Fort Collins Great and Building on Basics, or BOB, sales tax programs”. The City of Fort Collins revealed they have consistently met or exceeded their goal of sidewalk construction and repairs almost every quarter, from 2017 to 2022. The more improvement seen in sidewalks with the continuation of the project, the more improvement we can expect to see in Fort Collins as a whole, due to the benefits good sidewalks have on citizens.