Editor's letter: Walking the walk

In this space I normally give a rundown of what’s in the paper, couched in some sort of semi-relevant personal anecdote. So let’s pretend I did that, shall we?

Now. Let’s talk about The Sidewalk. 

Ray Pearcey offers some thoughts on the Great Sidewalk Debate in this issue the Voice, but in our previous issue he devoted an entire column to Tulsa’s tragically low “Walk Score,” and all the ways improving that score would improve the city as a whole. That discussion, naturally, cannot be had without addressing this sidewalk kerfuffle. Ray wrote: 

Most progressive planners and urban designers argue that sidewalks are an unambiguous public good—they allow for exercise, they give those without access to vehicles an avenue from A to B, and they provide safety and security for pedestrians in the midst of high-speed traffic corridors. The fate of new sidewalk links shouldn’t be determined by well-connected folks with objections to “outsiders.” 

Yes, Ray refers to our honorable mayor and his rich pals, who put the kybosh on the proposed sidewalk that would run from Veterans Park to the new Gathering Place. It’s another in a seemingly endless string of examples—people who run this city (elected officials as well as the rich folks who “suggest” things like this to elected officials) will stop at nothing to … do nothing. While other cities (including the one down the turnpike, which Tulsa used to laugh at) stride into the future, Tulsa’s complacent cronyism keeps our city’s feet firmly in the mud.

A coalition started earlier this year, Smart Growth Tulsa, is rallying citizens to reverse that trend in every way imaginable through innovative policy initiatives regarding infrastructure, transportation, public health and a host of other issues. The group, led by Executive Director Bill Leighty, former chair of the Tulsa Metro Area Planning Commission and current member of the city’s Transportation Advisory Board, has penned a letter to the mayor detailing the reasons we need that sidewalk. Those reasons are many, but this closing bullet point sums it all up pretty well: 

The Gathering Place is projected to attract a million or more visitors a year. The decision on whether or not to build the proposed sidewalk and provide adequate pedestrian access should be made on what best serves the best interests of the public, not the private preferences of a few neighborhood residents.

If you agree with that sentiment, I encourage you to do two things:

1 // Come to the public meeting with Mayor Bartlett at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24 at the Tulsa Garden Center (2435 S. Peoria Ave.). Many of the most outspoken opponents of the sidewalk project are expected to attend, so the forum could use as many voices in favor of the project as we can get. A second public forum, part of Councilor Blake Ewing’s “Dive Bar Town Hall” series, will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1 at The Fur Shop (520 E. 3rd St).

2 // Visit SmartGrowthTulsa.com and add your name to the petition they’ve created, which urges the mayor to reverse his decision.

It might seem like no one ever listens. It might even be true. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. Tell the mayor you support that sidewalk. Tell him you support progressive, forward-thinking initiatives that will make this city better for all of us, not just some of us. Tell him you want Tulsa to stop sitting around—it’s time to get moving.