Next time you drive Fourth Street between Menaul Boulevard and Osuna Road, think about what it would be like if you were walking.

A narrow sidewalk dips for multiple driveways.

Utility poles poke up out of the middle of the concrete, urging you to smack into them.

Cris Weller, vice president of the North Valley Coalition, walks her dogs Zack and Callie along a ditch bank near her home. The coalition is working with the city to make North Valley neighborhoods more "walkable." "The North Valley is very unique area. It's the old Camino Real. It has a lot of history and tradition," said Richard Dineen, the city's planning director. (Steven St. John/Tribune)

Want to take your infant for a stroll? You'll have to walk in the gutter.

Need a wheelchair to get around? Pick another street.

Neighborhood associations are working with the city to make North Valley neighborhoods prettier, safer and more "walkable."

The group is assessing what's there and "what would we as people in area want," said Anne La Lopa, coalition member. "Do we want mixed use or little sitting parks? . . . We want to revitalize and also keep the rural character."

The community is made up of residential areas, farms and parks with nearby small businesses and fast-food franchises.

Dan Burden, an urban designer and consultant to the city of Orlando, Fla., visited recently.

Burden walked the area and made suggestions for improvements, such as fewer driveway entrances into businesses, two-lane streets with bicycle lanes and a planter strip between the curb and the sidewalk.

"His whole point was we can make this a walking community . . . helping us to walk in the neighborhoods and feel safer, too," La Lopa said.

Claude Morelli, president of the North Valley Coalition, said plans will also consider where to put curb ramps and how to build them in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Coalition members say the city planning and transportation departments have been helpful providing information on regulations.

"The North Valley is very unique area. It's the old Camino Real. It has a lot of history and tradition," said Richard Dineen, the city's planning director. "It's changing now. We want it to change for the best. That's why we're working with a lot of steering committees in the area."

City Councilor Debbie O'Malley said she sees her job as bringing resources to the neighborhood and give it a voice in possible improvements.

"What's going on is essentially that we want to improve the North Valley, maintain a certain character and create a more walkable area, mitigate some of the traffic issues, and get more investment on Fourth Street," she said.

One project, Ditches With Trails, tries to preserve as much of the 300-mile network of ditches and trails along the arroyos in the area, Morelli said. Neighborhoods and the city park service are working together on implementation.

George Hutton, president of the Near North Valley Neighborhood Association, said the group wants to plan for access and improving those trails for use by walkers and bike riders.

What the neighborhood associations want is a sense of bonded community.

Burden told them: Look at how to improve your community, taking into account all the current needs and dreaming how to best upgrade and keep the rural feeling of the neighborhood.

The plans and timeline depend on funding, but residents hope to see improvements soon.