In a perfect world the city of Bend would have all the money it needs to do all the roadwork it wants to do, from Americans with Disabilities Act fixes to major projects designed to improve the flow of traffic all at once.

It’s not a perfect world, however. The city must stretch limited funds as far as it can. Thus the City Council voted on April 4 to put a crosswalk across NE 27th Street at Conners Avenue. Objections to the project have been vociferous, if misplaced.

Residents in the area are worried that an extended-stay hotel planned nearby will somehow ruin the neighborhood. They believe, incorrectly, that the crosswalk and hotel are connected and, presumably, that stopping the former will help stop the latter.

The two are not connected, and either one could be built no matter what happens to the other.

At least one disability advocate argues that isn’t enough. Brian Douglass, who lives a short distance from the proposed crosswalk, says only a four-way stop or light-controlled intersection will do. But the city cannot afford that just now, and a crosswalk will give anyone hoping to get from one side of 27th, whether on foot or by wheelchair, to the other a measure of safety that’s not there now.

Pedestrians hoping to cross NE 27th between Neff and Wells Acres roads today have few options. They can walk to the light at 27th and Neff, or they can use the single crosswalk in front of Mountain View High School. The additional crosswalk will allow people to reach medical facilities on both sides of 27th without having to go too far out of their way.

Bend does not have unlimited financial resources. No city does. Instead, city officials must make choices and use what money they do have in ways that benefit the greatest number of people. A sidewalk at Conners and 27th may not be the ideal solution to a lack of crossings on 27th, but it will help. For now, that will have to do.