We’re grateful that Brookhaven officials approved an expected $52,000 sidewalk along Turner Street near Alexander Junior High.

Unfortunately, it took an accident to make the need for a sidewalk obvious. Two teens were injured when a car struck them as they were walking to school last week.

The section of street they were on has no sidewalk, with a ditch on one side and a fence on the other, leaving pedestrians no choice but to remain in the street.

“There is no other place to walk but in the street,” Mayor Joe Cox said at a meeting Tuesday.

“The kids were walking to school, the driver did not see them and hit them,” Police Chief Bobby Bell said.

Bell said Tuesday the teens were in good condition following the accident.

Walking in the street is dangerous for any pedestrian, but especially for children and teens. Walking to school is a reality for many students and the city owes those residents a safe path to school.

This incident should be a wake-up call for the city. If there are other streets or sections of streets that need a sidewalk, then officials should make those a priority as well. It won’t happen overnight, but the city can create a plan to address those streets that are the most dangerous for pedestrians.