MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk

Sidewalk Activism

Well, sometimes speaking up and being the squeaky wheel does work. I've seen this happen for me twice-- well, maybe more if I stopped to think about it, but twice for sure. Years ago, a phone call I made to our city council member resulted in a stop sign being put up at an intersection a block from my home that had no traffic signage. I called after I and my kids were almost run down by two drivers in a row as we tried to cross this intersection. During the call, the council member said, "Oh, there isn't any stop sign there at all? We'll get right on it." And in a matter of weeks, there was a stop sign and the intersection has been ever so much better and safer.

My second bit of activism has been getting a sidewalk installed. There is a one-block stretch of street that has warehouses and trucking businesses on it, and because of some old coding, there is no sidewalk in front of those businesses. This happens to be the direct route for countless children (including mine) to walk to and from school. In the warmer months, this is not so bad, except for the puddles and wet grass when it rains, but in winter, since there is no sidewalk, the businesses don't plow the path, and often snow is dumped in huge mounds from a nearby driveway right onto the pathway where these kids walk. So kids must either walk in the street or climb these huge snow hills to keep walking.

So about two years ago, I started emailing the city council memeber (a different one now) and getting him to find out why there are no sidewalks and can they be put in. I talked to the principal to get him to request sidewalks as well, and this issue took so long to resolve that we've gone through 2 principals in this time. I've heard about zoning, I've heard excuses that these trucking businesses don't want kids to walk on this side of the street because there are trucks coming and going (but kids really won't cross the street to walk on the other side-- that was tried by the school but too difficult to enforce).

Finally, after hearing months of "the sidewalks will be installed by XX date," and it never happening, FINALLY the sidewalks were put in this week! I was thrilled! I think it will make a difference-- the truckers will know for sure now that this is a pedestrian zone and that they should watch for people. Kids will not walk in the street. The sidewalks will have to be plowed in winter.

In this case, it took 2 years of squeaking but it has happened.

Now, if only I could solve world peace, or something like that!

Posted by sapphire at September 1, 2005 10:08 PM