With the Streetscape Master Plan, which is blocking off parts of Limestone and hurting local businesses, Lexington is intent on improving downtown in time for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

But it seems Lexington has been focusing on the wrong section of downtown to improve.

According to a Sept. 8 Kernel article, two people, one a UK student, were struck and injured by a tow truck near Shriner’s Hospital on Richmond Road.

According to a Sept. 10 Kernel article, UK sophomore Sierra T. Emrich, 19, suffered a broken arm from the accident. Lexington resident Alfred B. Baker, 21 was still in the hospital as of Sept. 9.

The two Lexington residents, while under suspicion by Lexington Police of being intoxicated, were not at fault, but instead the tow truck driver became distracted and veered to the right shoulder, hitting the two while they were walking on the side of the road.

As of Sept. 9, no charges were filed against the driver, Louis D. Lunsford, according to the Sept. 10 Kernel article.

The two residents were walking on the shoulder because there are no sidewalks on that stretch of Richmond Road.

A lot of students don’t own cars or prefer not to drive when they go to bars in the area. While the residents could have called a taxi, if they were indeed intoxicated, they were making the wise choice of not getting behind a wheel.

Tow truck drivers shouldn’t be veering to the shoulder of the road, but still, walking on the shoulder of a busy street like Richmond Road is unsafe. Sidewalks are the solution for pedestrians to these unsafe conditions.

The area of Richmond Road the residents were struck in is between campus and a restaurant and shopping district, with subdivisions and houses along the way.

Why was this busy and populated area of downtown not developed with sidewalks?

Why has Lexington not made plans to develop this part of the area like they are developing the Limestone area?

Limestone construction can wait, especially when pedestrians are being struck by tow trucks on streets with no sidewalks.

Lexington should take a harder look at the parts of downtown that need real improvements, focusing on making Lexington safer for the students of UK and permanent residents of the city, not just improving downtown for the people attending the World Equestrian Games.