New Sidewalks in Orange County: A Safe Path for Pedestrians

Safe sidewalks save lives. Orange County leaders know this, and have made sidewalk safety a key focus area within the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program and Vision Zero initiatives.

The County is using sales tax monies to fund $100 million in transportation needs over five years, with $55 million of this for roadway lighting, sidewalks and pedestrian safety projects. The sidewalks portion provides $25 million to address 26 miles of sidewalks in the County.

“Sidewalks provide a safe path for pedestrians to walk along rather than walking directly along a given roadway,” said Eric Haertjens, Engineer II, Orange County Public Works Engineering. “The likelihood of conflicts with vehicles is significantly lowered when a pedestrian is on a sidewalk rather than in the roadway.” Haertjens stressed that although these sidewalk projects are underway, pedestrians have a responsibility for their own safety just as drivers have a responsibility to be mindful of pedestrians.

“You need to be aware of your surroundings, which includes people or objects along your path on a given sidewalk, or vehicles traveling the roadway,” he asserted. “You should also use signed or marked crosswalks to cross roads wherever possible, just as drivers should remember it’s state law to yield to pedestrians crossing the road.”

For more information on Orange County’s transportation initiative and to access the current list of roadway lighting, sidewalk and pedestrian safety projects, go to Accelerated Transportation Safety Program.