Edited 1/26 to add: The latest 311 reports (which also were forwarded to the mayor’s and Cheh’s offices) plus a dash of Twitter shaming may have done the trick. The sidewalk has been repaired.
Remember the busted up sidewalk in Van Ness I tweeted about two days ago? Well, after some Twitter outrage, D.C. quickly sent out a crew to fix it temporarily and now permanently. pic.twitter.com/KZ9GC3G146
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) January 25, 2018
During freezes, we have to watch out for icy sidewalks. Thaws bring their own pedestrian hazards.
This month’s temperature extremes – frigid temperatures followed by short-sleeves weather – have caused sidewalk pavement to shift, lift and sink, creating uneven segments and tripping hazards.
Barbara Cline tells us she reported one such spot to 311 on Friday, January 19th. It appears that sometime over the next couple of days, the raised sidewalk at 4201 Connecticut Avenue caught someone else by surprise. This warning appeared on the sidewalk by the following Monday:
“This broke my nose”
Photo provided by Barbara Cline.
If you see a tripping hazard on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk, call 311 or visit 311.dc.gov. Online, you can even upload a photo of a trouble spot.
The 311 website says it takes approximately 270 business days to resolve a sidewalk repair request. It is important in your description of the problem to include whether a sidewalk hazard impedes a busy pedestrian route, or is near a school, playground or any other community resource that drives pedestrian traffic.
And please, be careful.
Update: Comments on this Twitter post by WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle indicate people have been reporting this particular sidewalk to 311 and DDOT since at least August.
Someone in Van Ness spray painted a very noticeable warning on a portion of the sidewalk they say caused them to trip and break their nose. pic.twitter.com/vA1cLtOw4k
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) January 23, 2018
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David Jonas Bardin says
Why should it take DDOT 270 business days to “resolve” a sidewalk problem? That’s well over a calendar year. We pride ourselves on being a walkable City. Don’t sidewalk repairs deserve higher priority?
Marlene Berlin says
After David’s comment, I decided to see what 311 says about how long it takes to fix potholes–3 days. That is very telling. Roads appear to have much greater priority than sidewalks.. Council oversight and budget hearings are coming up in the spring. How about the ANC Sidewalks and Street Committee galvanize the community to rally and demand better service for our sidewalks?