IT'S a simple matter of safety.
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That's what Kelso resident Greg Madden says of the lack of footpaths in busy Eltham Drive off Gilmour Street, where he says those walking for exercise or to catch the bus are running the risk of being hit by a car.
Mr Madden says the mistake of not including footpaths in his developing area of Kelso is being repeated in other subdivisions throughout the city and council is leaving itself potentially liable in the future.
Mr Madden and his wife have lived in Eltham Drive - which is the only entrance and exit for the Marsden Estate and Laffing Waters area - since 2012.
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He said they knew the plans for further development in the area before they bought the house, so have no quarrel with what has happened since.
"What we have become concerned about ... is that no provision appears to have been made for footpaths in the whole subdivision, nor in any other new subdivision in the city, so it seems," Mr Madden said.
"There were about 200 houses existing in the Graham Drive/Wentworth Drive/Barker Circuit section when we came here to live in 2012, and at least another 500 new homes have been built since ... with literally thousands more proposed.
"All of the traffic generated from the existing housing, and this enormous amount of new housing, must come and go via Eltham Drive."
Mr Madden said those who want to exercise, walk to the school bus, visit their neighbours or walk to the shops have two choices: walk on the road or on people's properties, some of which have catheads up to 30 centimetres high.
"Every day now, we see near-accidents, where people walking on the road have to move sideways quickly, or vehicles have to swerve in the too-narrow streets to miss pedestrians, parked cars or other moving vehicles. Or all three," he said.
The most dangerous area now, he said, because of the most extreme concentration of traffic at all hours of the day, is the section of road from Gilmour Street along the southern side of Eltham Drive and around the corner into Graham Drive, and as far as the intersection with Gibsone Drive.
"It seems extraordinary that no town planning provision was, or is, made for normal activities of daily living, such as walking, in all of the new development areas of the city, but that doesn't mean it can't be fixed," Mr Madden said.
He said the developers will no doubt "scream at the cost, and possible loss of saleable land" so that footpaths can be incorporated.
"But that loss will be cheaper than the ultimate cost of the lawyers' dream of taking council to court for negligent liability," he said.