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Needs Assessments Are Vital For Every Town. Who’s Doing Them?
No town administrators know what the residents need unless a needs assessment is completed, but how many towns do them?
Too often, we hear that a neighborhood has a traffic problem where shoppers face roadways with careless drivers, and deaths are a result. One has earned the infamous name "The Boulevard of Death,” and it’s located in New York City.
A multi-lane roadway in a major shopping area, it has one island in the middle of its many lanes where pedestrians huddle until the way is clear. Even a traffic light change is insufficient for some to go from one side to the other. Older people or anyone with a mobility issue have an even worse time trying to beat the oncoming cars that are not driving within the posted speed limit. Additionally, because cars are still hitting people, changing the timing of the traffic lights hasn't adequately solved the issue.
I know of a nearby town that prides itself on providing residents with access to many cultural events and parks. But one incident highlighted their glaring inattention to the needs of those in wheelchairs who try to access a popular major supermarket.
A woman in a motorized chair had to navigate with her chair up the wide driveway into the store’s parking lot—there was no sidewalk, and she needed to remain in…
