Below please find my comment as published on the Ragged Edge, an online magazine. Since I have been advocating for safe sidewalks in Cambridge, and even though I have provided a wealth of information to all the current City Councillors, as well as DPW and the City's Disabilities Commission, and the Cambridge Commission for Persons With Disabilities, I have had nothing by harrassment from the City.
Please refer to the comment within the main story, Dying in the Streets, that I was responding to, from another citizen who tried to insure safe passage for folks in his town...
Yet a Meadville PA man who sued his city over the lack of curb cuts was reportedly harrassed by fellow citizens, who evidently did not approve of his taking the city to court.
I have tried to shed light on this serious Public Safety issue, but in response to a question, Mayor, what is your response to what Ms Podgers just presented?" during the Candidates Forum held at the Graham and Parks school, the current Mayor of our City referred to me as "Darkness."
The sad fact remains that it is the residents and taxpayers of this City who are in darkness because our City Councillors fail to tell you what is really going on. They do not want you to know, and I suspect that is because they do not want you to be involved. They do want you to know all the wonderful things they are doing, however, and they often take credit for things that have either not been done, or that someone else has done.
The best way dis-include the public is to fail to provide the pertinant information. After all, if the public does not know about it, they won't complain.
Please do refer to the rather lenghty article, and find my comment, near the end, and please also leave your own comments below. (you can leave anonymous comments)
Although I have filed these complaints, I prefer to work from within. I am effective working from within, and can get the best results from bringing folks together to find effective and sustainable solutions.
From the Ragged Edge....
I am not "no one" anymore! {{No one had filed a complaint about the lack of curb cuts along Bensen's street, said police. Starkloff called that response 'a poor excuse."}}
On March 9th, I filed a complaint agains't the City of Cambridge MA with the Mass Architectural Access Board. The City has sidewalks, city services, that are in a continous state of disrepair due to the City's Sidewalk Inspection and Minor Repair program. This Program inspects for vertical displacement only. And makes repairs when vertical displacement is 1 1/2", which makes this program, itself, non compliant! In addition, the City's curb ramp measurement assessment does NOT include landings or level landings!
The City of Cambridge has over 3900 curb ramps, and claims that only 109 continue to be "in bad condition" and non compliant!
I kid you not, that is what is claimed by the most recent report In City Council re the progress of the City's compliance with the ADA!
What has been going on is the City will repave or repair, or even rebuild the curb ramp or sidewalk, and do it wrong! They fix it wrong. So after thousands of dollars in repairs, improvements, etc, the curb ramp remains non compliant and the sidewalk inaccessable! Thousands of folks are forced into the streets in the city of Cambridge everyday!!
I filed this complaint using one intersection as "an example" both to protect the taxpayer and to make sure that as we repave our streets and sidewalks, access is provided. Ooops, that is the law, isn't it?
The two main problems of this intersection are the recently repaved sidewalks and curb ramps are inaccessable due to the extreem cross slope, in some places 7%; and there are no landings on the curb ramps, you come up and run into a wall or fence, and the cross slopes are to steep to allow safe turning. These curb ramps do not line up with the sidewalks.
The complaint is Docket number C06 017, and you can certainly let folks at the MAAB know how you feel about this. Write to...
The Commonwealth of Mass
Department of Public Safety
Architectural Access BoardOne Ashburton Place,
Room 1310
Boston MA, 02108-1618
Fax 617 727 0665
Posted by: Kathy Podgers March 26, 2006 11:16 PM
http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/departments/closerlook/000619.html
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