In some cities, this responsibility lays with the owner of the adjacent property, in others the government, and in some places ownership is divided between the two. In Brazil, most local governments place responsibility on property owners. But in a virtual poll conducted in , If the city is responsible for road space dedicated to vehicles, why should it not also be accountable for the space dedicated for pedestrians?
The fact is that walking, while still the primary way most urbanites get around from day to day, has been receiving less attention than ever before. In attempts to reverse this unsustainable trend and encourage more walking, many cities are reexamining the role of sidewalks. In New York City , property owners are responsible for installing and maintaining clean sidewalks. However, the city maintains sidewalks along public buildings and arterial roads.
The project is divided into stages, focusing on one or two city districts per month. Property owners are notified if repairs are needed. Its Safe Sidewalk Program , a person community group whose members were between 61 and 70 years old, works to raise awareness among residents and business owners.
Since the campaign began in , the group has made approximately 30, visits, resulting in more than , square meters of sidewalks repaired. In the s , Los Angeles received a federal grant and took up the obligation to repair its sidewalks. Planning and design plus social tolerance can make for exciting streets and sidewalks.
Not only are New York's sidewalks neglected, they are shrinking, especially in areas where they are needed the most, such as midtown Manhattan. Every time a new building goes up it increases pedestrian traffic, but sidewalk space does not expand. Instead of widening sidewalks and reducing the roadway, and thus cutting congestion and pollution, the city is putting up metal barriers to squeeze more pedestrians onto the existing sidewalks.
The first goal should be to improve the sidewalk experience for all New Yorkers and visitors. Both groups spend a good deal of their time walking, sometimes hours daily. Noise and air pollution are not only a nuisance, they are damaging to our health. Vehicular traffic is the main source of pollution, and it should be severely reduced, especially in densely developed downtown areas.
Secondly, strip our streets of advertising, the biggest source of visual pollution. Do not give this great public resource away to the highest bidders. We can have newsstands, garbage cans, public toilets, benches and green space without ads.
Third, improve pedestrian safety in congested areas by widening sidewalks, particularly at intersections, bus stops, and at wide crossings. Sidewalks do not always have to be linear. Creatively designed sidewalks can slow traffic, establish nodes for social activity, and accommodate a variety of street furniture without blocking pedestrian flow.
Fourth, stop trying to find the generic design for sidewalk amenities in this city of eight million people because it always turns out to be the easiest solution for the corporate contractor or city agency. It has produced dull design solutions that are just plain inadequate.
Our bus shelters are great examples of this inadequacy. Empower community boards to develop their own plans and set up local design review procedures so that street life can reflect the particular conditions and history of the city's diverse neighborhoods. Of course, to do the job right community boards need some of the resources and professional help that are now squandered on schemes to wheel and deal generic contracts.
Their mandate should be to make sidewalks inclusive public spaces open to all. Finally, drop the ticket blitzing. Put community boards in charge of enforcement and have them work with property owners and local civic organizations. Unlike fees that accrue when certain violations are issued due to a deficiency on a building, if the liable party does not perform the sidewalk repairs within 75 days, the NYC DOT may hire a private construction firm to complete the required work.
If a sidewalk is damaged by tree roots adjacent to one, two, and three-family homes in NYC Tax Class 1, and meet the pedestrian traffic and damage requirements, the Property Owner may not have to pay for the repair work.
It is worth noting that this program has limited funds and all potential repair locations are prioritized by the city agency.
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