For some time our city has been one of many that needs more sidewalks. While there are certain areas of the city with sidewalks, many others just don’t provide that convenience.

But, recent work aims to reduce the number of areas without them.

Pedestrian walkways are convenient for people looking to travel a short distance on foot.

They provide pedestrians with an avenue to safely walk to their destination without putting themselves in the path of vehicle traffic.

Along Weems Street and Davis Street, contract workers started installing sidewalks this week and plan to have that work completed by early next month.

Additionally, some of the broken storm drains along already established sidewalks have been repaired.

For some time there have been

a number of missing storm drain covers along sidewalks within Picayune, leading to a potential safety issue should an inattentive pedestrian fall into the gaping hole.

While not all of the missing drain covers are being replaced, by working with some of the remaining funds

in the budget at the end of the last fiscal year, the city was able to replace nearly half of them with better, stronger versions.

By providing our residents with a safer way to walk to destinations, or just walk in general, we are not only making the city a safer place, but also healthier.

When people are enticed to walk short distances instead of driving their car, they are more inclined to exercise, even if they don’t intend to.

It’s been proven that people who walk more suffer less risk of cardiovascular disease, being overweight and other risks associated with sitting down, as people driving cars do.

It is our hope that the city of Picayune will continue these efforts to build more walkways, and maintain those already in existence.