Walkable city requires more than sidewalks, report says

EDINBURG - The board started with sidewalks.

By the time the Edinburg Environment Advisory Board reached its conclusions, the group had determined it may take more than sidewalks to make the city more walkable.

The board charged with identifying solutions to make Edinburg pedestrian-friendly released its initial assessment of sidewalks, signals and crosswalks.

While the group identified a number of places where those facilities are lacking or nonexistent, any effort to improve them needs to be considered as part of an overall transportation plan, said Mark Peña, chairman of the advisory board. Putting sidewalks down or adding bike lanes won't work if it's not feasible to get from place to place by using them.

"The reality is you can put sidewalks downtown but that's not going to make it successful," he said. "What's going to make any area successful is getting people to want to be there."

To do that, the city needs to add diverse businesses and restaurants, plan mixed use developments and build quality public spaces, Peña said. Mayor Richard Garcia's plan to design a corridor from City Hall to the University of Texas-Pan American is a step in the right direction, he said.

But designing other parts of the city to be less reliant on vehicles will take time, Peña said, so for now he'll be satisfied with sidewalks.

The board's report recommended adding a number of new sidewalks throughout the city, including around the courthouse, university and along Closner Boulevard.

It also suggested the city add pedestrian signals and crosswalk striping at major intersections, plant shade trees along sidewalks to create a safe buffer zone from the street and repair cracked or buckled sidewalks.

Juan Lopez, the planning and zoning director, said the city council will consider the recommendations at a future meeting.

The city lacks sidewalks in subdivisions and other areas because they weren't part of zoning requirements, he said. Adding sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features must be looked at as part of its overall impact on the city.

"They have to look at the whole picture," Lopez said.