Sidewalks

County traffic engineers believe they have a way to put sidewalks along Outing and Catherine avenues -- make the roads one way.By narrowing both roads to accommodate one-way traffic, Chief Traffic Engineer James Schroll says he would have room to install the long-awaitedsidewalks without having to buy extra land from homeowners.The high price of purchasing the extra right of way had blocked previous attempts to put sidewalks along the roads.The plan would affect both roads between Mountain Road and Duvall Highway, restricting Outing Avenue to northbound traffic and Catherine Avenue to southbound.

THERE'S more sidewalk talk today. Last week's column on snow-covered sidewalks caused a flurry of responses, including a call from Howard County Executive James N. Robey's office. According to Herman Charity, a spokesman for Robey, county police do try to enforce the county's 48-hour snow removal regulation. "The police usually begin by requesting in person that they comply. If they don't, they will actually issue a citation," he said. And regarding the uncleared county sidewalks discussed last week?

Prompted by concerns for children's safety, the Sykesville Town Council voted last week to approve construction of sidewalks along Third Avenue. A labor group has offered to do the work free as a training project."

I TOOK a spin last week through Woodberry at Severna Park, a new luxury tract of imposing homes.Located off Ritchie Highway, south of Magothy Bridge Road, it is typical of developments being built nowadays with edifices costing $350,000 or more. With huge brick fronts, these are immense structures. They boast all the amenities a person could want -- from sprawling, fully equipped kitchens to whirlpool bathtubs to walk-in closets as big as a backyard shed.However, this pricey subdivision lacks one amenity that used to be taken for granted.

I WAS planning to write my annual snow column about winter driving tips and how to prepare your vehicles for winter weather. But after the recent snow, some folks neglected to shovel their sidewalks. It made sense to write about that instead. Isn't anyone else out there bothered that our children risk their lives just to walk to their bus stops? Glenn Johnson is, but it is his job to be. He is director of transportation for Howard County public schools. "I'd like to think that most understand their responsibility [for clearing snow from their sidewalks]

Depending on who's speaking, a plan to reconstruct Annapolis' Main Street -- in part by widening its sidewalks -- would improve the crowded thoroughfare or turn it into a tacky pedestrian mall.The sidewalk debate, city officials say, has jeopardized the $5 million project.Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins said last week the city is running out of time to negotiate with the Historic District Commission, which must approve such projects, and scheduled a City Council meeting for Friday to try to reach agreement on the Main Street reconstruction blueprint.

A program that lets homeowners pay one-fourth of the cost of new sidewalks -- with the county and local civic association picking up the rest -- will apply to residents along a section of Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard whose property floods because it is lower than the roadway.Donald Gibson, who heads the program for the Glen Burnie Improvement Association, said this week that the organization had found an obscure law and precedents that allow a county government to maintain sidewalks along state roads.

Just in time for the winter of 1995, New Windsor has adopted a snow policy, which has homeowners shoveling and officials watching.Council members will make sure residential sidewalks are shoveled within 10 hours of a snowfall. All five members are ready with citations for offenders."Our sidewalks are not so great already," said Mayor Jack A. Gullo Jr. "Snow creates even more hazardous conditions."The mayor and town clerk also will have ticket books. Residents can complain to any official about snowy walk areas.

WHAT IS Baltimore's greatest problem? A murder rate four to five times New York City's? A public school system in which almost two-thirds of the students drop out? The unrelenting exodus of the middle class?Did the lack of attractive sidewalks downtown come to mind?City government and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore believe that the lack of such sidewalks is a serious problem, and they plan to spend several million dollars to provide them, along with landscaping, benches and light fixtures.

A standing-room-only crowd of more than 275 residents packed the hearing room in the county office building last night to tell the Planning Board their concerns about capital budget requests for the fiscal year beginning July 1.Nancy Perkins of Vista Road wanted to make sure a $132,000storm drainage project for her street was included among the recommendations. The project is not scheduled to begin until July 1997, but that may be too late to do any good, Ms. Perkins told the board.Properties continue to be developed without adequate storm drainage, she said, because the county has been granting the developer waivers and accepting fees in lieu of construction.