The bill currently before City Council addresses key problems but finds the wrong answers. Council members who favor the bill certainly have a good motive: to make the city's sidewalks more walkable. But fining homeless people -- who by definition don't have money -- for staying in the same place too long simply doesn't make sense. And going after just about anyone who rides a bike on the sidewalk is a waste of the city's already-stretched resources. Instead, the city should work with private agencies and other branches of government to solve the problems at the root of this behavior. One step in the right direction was Mayor Ed Rendell's $6 million pledge to provide services for the homeless. Instead of criminalizing homelessness, government and charities should do even more to help the homeless get the help they need. Funding must be allotted to keep shelters open and make sure there are enough beds to meet demand, and to provide mental health and drug rehabilitation treatments. People who ride bicycles on the sidewalk can also cause problems -- clogging the sidewalks and forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way or be hit. To alleviate this situation, the city should examine whether it is feasible to create bike lanes on at least some streets. Attracting more people to the city requires clean, safe sidewalks. But laws that can't work will not make Philadelphia more attractive.
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