Livingston Readers Respond: These Local Walkways Need Repair [PHOTOS]

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Sidewalks and walkways deteriorate. It’s a fact of modern living that is sometimes taken for granted in suburban neighborhoods like Livingston. But some Livingston residents say that the condition of certain paths in town call for immediate repair before someone gets hurt.

After Patch Livingston issued a callout for reader tales of local “sidewalks in need of repair,” we received two emails from residents that pointed out walkways they’d like to see fixed.

Alan Saltzman told Patch that Northfield Road is in need to some serious TLC.

“The sidewalk is broken, uneven and very narrow especially for a sidewalk to a major thoroughfare in town,” Saltzman said. “It is thus dangerous to walk on, especially in bad weather.”

Saltzman provided the below photos.

Lisa Diorio told Patch that the walkway which connects Fairfax Drive to Hillside School is in “terrible condition.”

“This sidewalk is used by students and their families to get to and from school,” Diorio said. “Some areas of the pavement are completely broken into rocks and during the icy winter months are dangerous.”

She added that it’s “very difficult to push a baby stroller down,” and “completely inaccessible” for anyone in a wheelchair.

Diorio provided the below photos of the pathway.

During a recent town council meeting, former resident Martin Hammer blasted the condition of the sidewalks outside his childhood home, TAP Into Livingston reported.

“I’ve visited my parents here in Livingston for the past 30 years and other than enjoying my visit, I’ve noticed the terrible conditions of the sidewalks in the area,” Hammer said. “To me, this is so out of character for a township with such high standards.”

Hammer added that he’s seen damaged sidewalks outside of the high school and areas which are supposed to be wheelchair accessible, TAP Into reported.

According to town code, Livingston homeowners are required to maintain the sidewalks adjacent to their property.

The status of the town’s sidewalks has been a running cause of debate in Livingston. In 2012, the municipality launched its Sidewalk Reconstruction Initiative, a plan to reconstruct the sidewalks on township properties to provide a safe area for residents to walk.

“The goal is to improve the ‘walkability’ of the township,”, Livingston Township Assistant Engineer Jeannette Harduby stated at the time.

• See related article: Livingston Sidewalk Reconstruction Initiative Launched
• See related article: Share a Sidewalk in Livingston And Save On Repair Costs

What sidewalks in Livingston need repair the most? Let us know in the comments section and send any supporting photos with location and date to Eric.Kiefer@patch.com. If we get enough replies we’ll post them in a future article!