FRANKLIN, MASS. (WHDH) - Families in a Franklin neighborhood are claiming the town has put their kids in danger by getting rid of some of the sidewalks.
Bill Hardiman, who lives on Richard Lane, worries when his son leaves for school, because the sidewalk that used to pass by his house is now just a patch of dirt.
“Who wants to have their kids walk to school in the street?” Hardiman said.
This summer, the town of Franklin got rid of those sidewalks on part of Richard Lane while repaving the road.
“We did have sidewalks on both sides, which was extremely useful for walking, biking, recreation, walking the dog, playing with the kids — that kind of stuff,” said neighbor Dave Bertoldi.
“It’s a nice, quiet street, but it does have a curve and a pretty intense slope, so we just feel it would be safer if we had the sidewalks to use to keep our kids and family safe,” he continued.
When the town repaved the road, they only replaced the sidewalk on one side of the street. As you get farther up the hill, the sidewalk disappears on both sides. Those who live in the area want to know why.
“It just completely stops and it’s just kind of a bizarre transition,” Bertoldi said. “For us it’s really just a safety issue, but I think there’s also potential of lowering property values.”
7 Investigates discovered that Richard Lane should have sidewalks, as town regulations require them on at least one side of every residential road.
“We don’t necessarily have to abide by that. What I mean by that is you can go out and there are so many roads in town that do not have sidewalks for various reasons,” said Brutus Cantoreggi, director of the Franklin Department of Public Works.
When asked why the town doesn’t put in a sidewalk on just one side, Cantoreggi cited limited funding.
Cantoreggi said skipping the sidewalks has saved the town a lot of money.
“A rough estimate is $1.3 million per mile for a sidewalk — just the sidewalk, never mind the whole roadway,” he said. “We try to spend funds where the most people get the biggest bang for their tax dollars.”
But the taxpayers on Richard Lane feel like they got short-changed.
“The poles are in the right spot, there’s room for it, and again, we’re not even asking for it on both sides. One side is acceptable to us,” Bertoldi said. “If we are owed a sidewalk, we should get a sidewalk.”
Frustrated residents have started a petition to restore the sidewalk, but so far, the town is not budging.
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