REPORT OF GNPS SIDEWALK SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE
In the spring of 2021, the GNPS Advocacy Committee started discussing the condition of sidewalks in Park Slope. This was prompted by members’ complaints about tripping and the difficulty of maneuvering shopping carts and wheelchairs.
We decided that before we could advocate for improved sidewalks, we would first need to find out how severe the problem is. So in the summer and fall of 2021, we surveyed all 570 sidewalks in Park Slope, from Flatbush Avenue to Ft. Hamilton Parkway and from Prospect Park West to 4th Avenue. We looked for defects that the Department of Transportation defined as tripping hazards.
For each defect, we counted the number of sidewalk flags we thought would need to be replaced to repair the defect. At the end of the block we wrote down the total number of sidewalk flags that would need to be replaced on the block. Some blocks had no defects, while others had more than 50.
We were conservative in our approach: if a hazard was easily avoidable, we didn’t count it. Even so, we found that at least 70% of our sidewalks presented tripping hazards and obstacles making them difficult to navigate. 51% of the sidewalks had hazards involving tree beds. 20% had hazards involving bluestone pavers.
Members suggested the following actions GNPS could take to get our sidewalks repaired.
1. Organize a coalition of organizations concerned about the conditions of the sidewalks so that what we advocate for will be taken more seriously. Possible organizations include Heights and Hills, Park Slope Civic Council, local Community Boards, NY Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Park Slope Parents, LiveOn NY, and a disability advocacy organization.
2. Ask the NY City Council to set up a Sidewalk Safety Task Force made up of all City agencies involved in sidewalk repair. Its task would be to report back to the Council with recommendations for changes in regulations and procedures that would enable the City to respond in a timely manner to complaints and requests and to make it easier and cheaper for property owners to comply.
An example of a regulation that could be changed involves the requirement of the Landmarks Preservation Commission to replace bluestone pavers with bluestone, which is much more expensive than replacement with other materials. Another idea is to develop a mechanism that would make it easy for property owners on the same block to use the same contractor, making repairs much cheaper.
GNPS has already spoken with our Councilperson, Shahana Hanif, who is eager to get the results of our survey.
3. Ask the new Comptroller, Brad Lander, to revisit the two audits made by his predecessors: “Audit Report On The Department Of Parks And Recreation’s Trees & Sidewalks Program” and the “Audit Report on Department of Transportation Efforts to Address Sidewalk Defect Complaints.”
4. Advocate for additional funding in the budget earmarked for sidewalk repair and for legislation to be passed that would require the City to respond to complaints and requests in a more timely manner.
5. Compile documentation on specific cases to support the need to improve the sidewalk repair process.
6. Make it easy for members to find information about sidewalk repair by including it in a separate section on the GNPS website, including a list of contractors recommended by the City and recommended by other members.
7. Utilize the social media, local news sites, nextdoor.com, and hold rallies in front of particularly hazardous properties to bring attention to the issue.
8. Write a letter to stores and property owners along the commercial strips of 5th and 7th Avenues that have extremely hazardous sidewalk defects, explaining that we represent 600 older adults who are concerned about the conditions of our sidewalks as many have suffered serious injuries caused by uneven pavement. Request that they make the necessary repairs. It was also suggested that this be a form letter, so that no store or owner would feel singled out. Rather we are asking for the whole community to work together to improve our environment. Another suggestion is that a group of us bring the letter in person.
9. Launch a campaign to have our members report sidewalk defects to the City through 311.
4/7/22