ESTEVAN - Estevan area residents have likely noticed the yellow paint markings found on many of the sidewalks in the community this year.
They were added to help those with vision disabilities navigate their way around the city.
Helen Fornwald, who is the city’s safety co-ordinator, noted the process started in 2020 when she met with Lyle Dukart, a local man who is visually impaired, and with a CNIB specialist in orientation and mobility.
“We physically walked all the way from where he lives to where he goes to his doctor’s appointment. So I got to see, first-hand, what it was like for someone with vision loss and what they experience,” said Fornwald.
During the 2 1/2-hour walk, they identified some areas of difficulty, whether it’s from a sidewalk, street, road, railway tracks or other issues. One of those areas was the CP Rail crossing at 13th Avenue, where it’s difficult to distinguish the end of the sidewalk and the beginning of the pavement for the road. Paint has been added.
“He has set the stage for anybody that has vision loss,” Fornwald said.
Another area was in front of Blackbeard’s Restaurant, where there was nothing to distinguish the sidewalk from the parking lot. They also worked on the King Street pathway by Scotsburn Square, since the pathways don’t line up.
Reflective tape has been added to poles on King Street east of Bannatyne Avenue that she expects will help motorists in the winter months.
Some troublesome areas, such as the sidewalk from Second Avenue to Kensington Avenue, have been resolved with a new sidewalk that is part of the city’s integrated pathway project.
Dukart said he was having trouble navigating the city with his cane. He was asked by Mayor Roy Ludwig for ideas, and Dukart supplied them to help those with vision issues.
In the case of the railway crossing at 13th Avenue, there isn’t a curb separating sidewalk from pavement.
He looks forward to walking more around the city, and he is pleased with the work that is taking place. He pointed out the sidewalk on Fourth Street in east Estevan is a big addition, because he doesn’t have to walk on the road.
Dukart also recognizes the city can’t do everything at once.
“I’m in the process of contacting the city again about some overgrowth on sidewalks, where the shrubs in front of the properties have overgrown more than three-quarters of the sidewalk,” said Dukart. “There are some more issues that need to be addressed. But the city is doing their best to come up with the solutions.”
The paint won’t last forever, so this isn’t a permanent solution, and the effort proceeded despite a shortage of line paint this year, but Fornwald said the response has been positive. She has received lots of inquiries because it is something new, but anyone who has asked has been pleased.
“This is just the very first [step]. It’s kind of like a pilot project just to see how it goes, and we’ll have to evaluate it at the end of the year,” she said.
