The Thinking At City Hall Persists: "What Pedestrians?"

Today: Street made right by DPW!  Sidewalk still ignored!

The situation in front of 414 State Street is yet another glaring example of the city's continued lack of attention to safe, accessible sidewalks for all.  We all deserve a whole lot better.

On August 14th, the contractor working on 414 State excavated a large portion of the street and a large portion of the sidewalk to get at pipes below, blocking both the street to all vehicular traffic and the sidewalk to all foot traffic.  They had been issued a Street Permit and a Sidewalk Permit by DPW just prior to work beginning, according to the DPW clerk. (This occurred subsequent to my article about the contractor's lack of a DPW Street Permit in early August).

2 days later, on Friday the 16th, with work done below the street, the contractor filled their hole and covered it with a temporary patch of asphalt, as they were required to do according to the Street Permit (which cost a few hundred dollars).  The hole in the sidewalk was filled that day, too, but the barriers were not removed, and no concrete was put down to create a passable sidewalk.  All pedestrians were still forced to walk in the street, while automobile traffic returned to normal in the street.  The $25 DPW Sidewalk Permit requires nothing of contractors to replace a sidewalk.

Barriers in street while DPW's asphalt cools.
  Sidewalk still missing.

Earlier this week, DPW removed the contractor's temporary asphalt in the street and installed permanent asphalt, purchased from Colarusso & Sons, as is the regular process. (This is why the Street Permits, depending on the size of the excavation, can be so expensive).  Vehicle traffic was shut down for a day at the site.  DPW, as is also normal, did not touch or even consider the missing and blocked sidewalk, even though they issued the permit to have it removed.  

Today, exactly two weeks after the contractor at 414 State allowed automobile traffic to resume freely in front of the house, the sidewalk is still missing and the barriers remain, forcing everyone passing by into the street. No progress there, and no one at DPW, nor anywhere else in City Hall, is requiring (or even suggesting) that the contractor needs to be reopen the sidewalk to foot traffic.  Not Robert Perry, Craig Haigh, nor Michael Hoffman, the ADA Compliance Officer in the Mayor's Office.  Include the DPW Sidewalk Permit in that list!

 As the DPW foreman recently told me, "Our responsibility is not sidewalks - it's from curb to curb in the streets." Then why the hell does DPW issue $25 Sidewalk Permits to allow contractors to remove and block sidewalks?  Why would DPW make sure the street is smooth at 414 State while ignoring the sidewalk, both of which were part of the same excavation and both of which required a separate DPW permit?  It's yet another example of structural dysfunction at City Hall and DPW.  The norm.

A DPW Sidewalk Permit conveys nothing other than this to contractors: "Go ahead, we grant you permission to remove the sidewalk and block it for as long as you like.  We don't care what you ultimately do or don't do with it.  We don't care how long you take to replace the sidewalk or open it back up to pedestrians, if you do a decent job of it, or if you even bother to replace it.  Why, you ask?  Because we don't care about pedestrians!  They are low life people who should buy a car to use on the streets DPW spends their tax dollars on.  Thanks for the 25 bucks! Come back any time!"

Thanks for all your help, City Hall!  I 
really don't mind walking in the street!

The language in the DPW permits and in our code concentrate on streets and vehicular traffic, essentially omitting consideration of sidewalks and pedestrians -- spotlighting the city's priorities and focus.  Naturally, the thinking and approach of the people in City Hall mirrors that language (and lack thereof).  Sidewalks and pedestrians?  They are either an afterthought or, more consistently, no thought at all.  The proof is in currently on display in front of 414 State Street and in the wording of the permit issued for that still missing and still blocked sidewalk.