PEI

'Why should I live in fear?' Summerside father asks for sidewalk

Central Street is in desperate need of sidewalks, says Trevor Yeo, and his neighbours agree.

Council says staff will look into it

A petition presented to committee of council is asking Central Street be paved from Route 2 to Walker Avenue. (Natalia Goodwin/CBC )

Summerside's Central Street is in desperate need of sidewalks, says Trevor Yeo, and his neighbours agree.

Yeo has lived in the P.E.I. city on a small side street off of Central called Waverly Court for 17 years. He said walking along the upper section of Central Street is too dangerous for many.

"There's no sidewalks and the shoulder is not paved, it's just crushed asphalt that is on a dangerous angle," he said. 

"There is children, there is cyclists, there's motorized scooters using this street each day. I recently stopped a motorized scooter user and they said they can't use the shoulder because it's on such a large slope, they're scared their scooter will tip over into the ditch."

Petition presented

Yeo recently gathered 25 signatures from neighbours on a petition.

His councillor, Greg Campbell, presented it to the committee of council meeting on Tuesday. In the attached letter he asked for a sidewalk from Walker Avenue to the highway. Right now, only the lower section of Central has sidewalks.

Trevor Yeo says he is afraid to let his kids walk on Central Street. (Natalia Goodwin/CBC)

Yeo said he is afraid for his six children. 

"They would like to go see their grandparents that just live down the street, but I'm scared to death to allow them to use that section of Central Street," he said.

"I pay my taxes so why should I live in fear?"

The committee decided to send the request to technical services staff to see about the possibility of a sidewalk, but also said there are a lot of factors, including budget, that would have to be looked at before deciding on a new sidewalk.