To the editor:

Fellow Saranac Lake residents:

I have to ask, what is the reason behind ignoring our sidewalks and walking in the street? This occurs not only in the wintertime, when sidewalks are slick or not shoveled, but also during the summertime as well.

Margaret Street, Pine Street and Route 86! Each of those examples has a sidewalk, and yet you consistently have to move your vehicle wide for a pedestrian.

It’s not just older people; it’s young people, too, and children. I have to assume there is a good reason behind teaching our younger generations that walking on the Adirondack Health side of 86 is a better idea than the sidewalk that runs along the same side as Kinney and Lake Colby.

So I have to ask, what’s the point here? Is the village not providing adequate plowing or salting? Are there not enough residents plowing the sidewalks in front of their homes?

Maybe you find the current sidewalks to not be as direct as you’d like. Our village is willing to reevaluate the River Walk; why wouldn’t they be willing to look at other parts of town, to not only benefit the tourists but the Saranac Lake residents themselves?

I also do a lot of walking around our community; it’s a great walkable town! I know people who don’t have consistent transportation and use the sidewalk when they are traveling by foot. But it just boggles my mind to see people disregard the sidewalks entirely.

Other drivers and I want nothing more than to have a harmonious balance on the road with pedestrians, but if the sidewalk is an option, I believe that I’m not the only one stressed to see people walking in blind spots, and 40 mph shoulders of Route 86.

If anything, this is a plea to keep our pedestrians safe. To drivers, don’t text and drive, don’t drive drunk, and watch out for your fellow human who might be not using the sidewalk.

A concerned citizen who loves the Blue Line as much as anybody,

Annabelle Abbadessa

Saranac Lake