Many residents live within a three mile walking distance of downtown Roswell and would love an environmentally friendly, safe, healthy option of visiting their local establishments. Unfortunately for many citizens, large stretches of potential walking path are devoid of sidewalks and make pedestrian commuting unnecessarily hazardous. This petition is to address the lack of a continuous sidewalk path on Pine Grove Road, specifically between Chickering Parkway and downtown Roswell.

Although certainly a significant capital cost for the Roswell Department of Transportation, the proposal is not without offsetting financial impact. Because our society is becoming more aware of the environmental impacts of automobiles and the benefit of daily exercise, alternative pedestrian transportation methods near neighborhoods increase home values. These home values increase government revenues through increased property taxes and offset capital expenditures in time. It is well known that traffic and parking in downtown Roswell can be particularly treacherous during peak hours. If more convenient transportation methods are available to residents, then patronage to the establishments of downtown Roswell would only increase. This increase of patronage advances local business opportunities, strengthens community investment and increases sales tax revenue. The health benefit of increased pedestrianism adds an additional intangible, yet undeniable, benefit to the proposal.

A satellite image of the area is shown in the attached image. Existing sidewalks are shown in blue, while the proposed sidewalk path is shown in red.

A full image can be viewed here: http://postimg.org/image/veoamcwor/

I hope this proposal is taken with seriousness and the government of the City of Roswell seize this opportunity for investment and improvement in our community.

Sincerely,

Benjamin P. L. Turner and the Undersigned Petitioners