The sidewalk crew made more progress today, but again, they left an avoidable mess that blocks the sidewalk overnight. Pedestrians will stumble upon this obstruction and most likely step into the street to get by. The procedure that this contractor is using does not take into account pedestrians - which is ironic, considering what they are doing here. they left totally obstructed sidewalks for a total of seven days - over Memorial Day weekend. Totally avoidable with a little forethought. No one is monitoring this work but me.
These seemingly-insignificant instances are repeated hundreds of times a year in Montgomery County. Each of these situations may lead to hundreds of risks each day - and each risk successfully managed breeds confidence that reinforces the practice of jaywalking. Taken cumulatively, these tiny infractions combine to make it clear why so many pedestrians are hit in Montgomery County. It's not because pedestrians are stupid, it is in part because Pepco and others are not paying attention to important details - or Federal law. Because of this, I can never be sure where the next dangerous passage might be.
These piles remained in place all of Thursday, overnight, and most of Friday. They were removed on Friday afternoon. The sidewalks between Chicago and Woodbury were blocked-off a total of eight days. In my opinion this was completely avoidable with a little forethought. IS PEPCO even aware that some of their contractors don't follow State and Federal law when they are working in the ROW? I think it is very clear that they do not. How can PEPCO ensure that their contractors are following proper procedure when doing work in the ROW? INSPECT.
ReplyDeleteUntil they are instructed otherwise by the people who pay them, the contractor who did this work on Sligo Avenue will most likely repeat the process over and over again. How many times will pedestrians be required to walk in the street because they don't consider sidewalks important? WHO KNOWS???
I have been advised several times by both SHA and MCDOT officials to file a complaint against PEPCO for their lack of attention to ADA issues and procedures. Maybe it is time to follow-through on that...