by KYW's Mike Dunn
It could put a bounce in your step: a City Council committee on Wednesday was looking at the advantages of using rubber rather than concrete for Philadelphia's sidewalks.
City councilman Jim Kenney (in file photo above) called the hearing after realizing that the city pays out thousands of dollars each year to settle lawsuits after sidewalk slip-and-fall accidents.
Among those testifying was Michael von Fisher of the firm Rubbersidewalks, Inc.:
“It eliminates slip-and-falls, and it make tree roots grow less aggressively because water does dissipate.”
And, Fisher says, over the long haul the rubber sidewalks come out cheaper than concrete.
Brian Goldthorpe of the local Multiple Sclerosis Society said this could also help those who are wheelchair-bound:
“Hopefully it make it more accessible to them. Somebody can get down the street without risking falling out of their wheelchair.”
Kenney said he’ll continue pushing for rubber on the sidewalks with the next administration.
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