Opinion: Lewiston residents deserve safe and clean sidewalks

Walking in Lewiston has proven to be a more difficult task than it should be; there is a lack of pedestrian safety, which doesn’t seem to be at the top of the city’s priority list.
When walking, I always notice how poorly-kept the sidewalks are. On the rare occasion that sidewalks are present, I am constantly stepping around puncture weeds and dog excrement. A majority of the time that I walk, I spend walking on the side of the road. By the time I get to the place I’m going, I have to take off my shoe and pour out a river of pebbles.
Preliminary data collected in a survey by The Bengal’s Purr found that only 11% of LHS students think it is easy to get around in Lewiston. But as many as 43% of respondents said they believe there is no lack of pedestrian safety here.
It’s shocking that the city code places the responsibility of sidewalks on the property owner. My main concern with this policy is elderly people; if the property owner is an elderly woman who can’t take care of the sidewalk, are they expected to have the funds to hire somebody to clean it?
All in all, I find the city impossible to walk in, and I find it is irresponsible to put the responsibility of sidewalk upkeep on property owners.