Imagine a young mother taking a stroll through downtown Wellsboro- her newborn baby peacefully sleeping in his stroller. Suddenly, the stroller hits a massive crack and the baby is launched from his seat. Although this story is a little far-fetched, the poor conditions of Wellsboro sidewalks do pose a safety risk. These run-down sidewalks make it difficult for Wellsboro citizens to go about their daily life.

While these sidewalk conditions are not bad on some of the main streets of town, most roads and the sidewalks along the sides are below a good standard. Most of these sidewalks are chipped and cracked and make it difficult to walk or ride on. This poses a large problem to people just walking, but poses an even bigger issue to those with mobility issues. These sidewalks are especially harsh on elderly who rely on walkers or canes or other people who have difficulty getting around on their own. For example a small child can trip and be seriously injured by the sharp edge of a sidewalk crack, or an elderly woman using her walker could fall over a crack and be severely injured. Another possible outcome of bad sidewalks is pedestrians walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk. A study done in 2019 showed that in the last decade the number of fatalities of pedestrians walking in the street has risen by 45%. This can also be attributed to sidewalk conditions being bad. All of these issues are very preventable if sidewalks are properly maintained and repaired.

While the sidewalks are in very bad condition there are laws and ordinances to try and prevent such conditions. In chapter 21 of the Wellsboro borough code it states that sidewalk owners must repair a sidewalk on no more than 10 day's notice from the borough. Chapter 21 of the code also states that Refusal or failure to do so will result in a one thousand dollar fine to the property owner. While these ordinances are in place they are not properly enforced. Many of the sidewalks and streets that have fallen into disrepair have been so for months or even years. For any of these ordinances to be properly followed they must also be properly enforced.

While this is an increasing problem there are simple cost effective solutions to it. The fist is as stated above, enforcement of local ordinances. If these are enforced regularly people will not allow their sidewalks fall into disrepair and will be more agreeable to repairing them when needed. Another solution could be to have regular borough checks on sidewalks to see what sidewalks need to be repaired. Another could be financial assistance in the repair of sidewalks. If the borough was to provide even a little financial assistance to property owners, repair would probably go much smoother and quicker than without the assistance. A final solution could be better education of property owners about the danger and liability issues that come with sidewalk disrepair. If the owners were educated further on the topic they might be able to better maintain their sidewalk.