Officials want safer sidewalks

    Andrews – Lawmakers are cracking down on bicyclists and skateboarders who travel on sidewalks in the central and highway business districts, which includes the heart of downtown.
    Officials say they’ve received calls from merchants and customers complaining about almost being knocked down while using sidewalks.
    “It’s very dangerous when someone rides past a storefront on a bicycle as a customer exits the building,” Mayor James Reid said.
    At the Oct. 8 Andrews Board of Aldermen meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt new revisions to the 1985 zoning ordinance. The amended law states that anyone who uses a bicycle, skateboard or motorized vehicle (except wheelchairs) on sidewalks in those districts are subject to penalties, including citations and fines. Repeat offenders could even be arrested, and officials have asked the police chief to start enforcing the regulation.
    The revised law also mandates that manufactured homes located outside of trailer parks must be multi-sectional. “Single-wide mobile homes shall not be permitted,” it reads.
    The ordinance also states that “new manufactured dwelling parks will not be allowed within the boundaries existing for the Town of Andrews at the time of the adoption of this ordinance.”
    Today, there are five lawful mobile home parks within city limits. Going forward, developers would have to seek land outside of city limits to construct a new park. Even then, that would be subject to the availability of the town’s utility services.
    Additionally, existing mobile homes that are destroyed or uninhabitable cannot be replaced by a larger home, and mobile homes greater than five years old are subject to special inspections for habitability and safety.
    The amended law also allows low-income residents to apply for special exceptions to portions of the ordinance where full compliance would cause “considerable undue hardships” for them. Town officials included the provision to be sensitive to people who don’t have the financial means to fix a dilapidated home or replace it with a new one.
    Additionally, the legislation defines the length of time a disabled or unregistered vehicle may be left on public streets before being towed.
    Lawmakers decided to amend the 1985 ordinance to address citizens’ needs that were previously omitted from the ordinance, and to clarify certain parts of the law that were confusing. To read the document in its entirety, visit www.andrewsnc.com.