I recently spent a few days with my mother in Oklahoma City, one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly cities I've ever visited. The lack of sidewalks makes it almost impossible to take a walk in your own neighborhood. You can either walk in the street or across neighbors' lawns; neither is an acceptable option.
Given Oklahoma's high rate of obesity, and the correlation between physical exercise and better health, you'd think it would be a no-brainer to mandate the construction of sidewalks in all new developments. Certainly it would make it much easier for residents to step outside their homes and take a walk.
Kathleen DuHamel, Fruita, Colo.
