The sidewalk across the street remained closed, as usual. I just don't think anyone can take Montgomery County seriously on pedestrian safety at this point.
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| Nope, no wheelchairs getting past here |
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| Nope, no wheelchairs getting past here |
11 comments:
Bob,
Are the MoCo enforcement folks on summer vacation? That's the only plausible explanation as to why sidewalks have been blocked all around town the past week (from Arlington Rd, to Pearl Street to Fairmont Avenue).
Please don't STFU. Hopefully, this will get some attention.
No one told you to "STFU!" Dyer - critical reading skills are important. Maybe now you see why not crying wolf over a cone out of place is important? Live and learn, Dyer. When I contact 311 or a council member the shit gets addressed - want to know why? Because I don't hound them about a cone.
I'll try to walk by the site myself this afternoon to see if the dumpster is still there and there's no easy pedestrian path around. Clearly from the pic anyone not in a wheelchair can simply walk along the sidewalk and then into the blocked off lane, but the ramp being moved to the other side of the dumpster is important in case someone happens to need it.
It's likely something I can simply tell one of the construction workers to do (picking up the ramp isn't rocket science though, admittedly, it is slightly harder than picking up a cone), if a site manager hasn't already seen the situation and corrected it.
What an educated response. Real contribution to society you are, pal.
Yes, they did tell me to "stfu" - I linked right to the page where they did in the comments section. As far as contacting the county or Roger Berliner, that has been done by others a while back, and I spoke to Mr. Berliner myself more than a month ago. There has been more than a cone blocking the path over that time. I'm surprised you would ridicule me about the cone. How would a disabled person in a wheelchair move a large cone out of the way? You said "anyone not in a wheelchair" could get by the dumpster, but isn't that the problem? People in wheelchairs have a right to go by, as well. Certainly, the nature of the work justifies the temporary sidewalk closure, and this project was one of the few that actually provided a covered sidewalk during the main construction. But with the project across the street *not* providing the required sheltered passage, it's important to remember that people have no other way to pass this street than by the pedestrian walkway.
No, the commenter told the previous commenter to stfu. They clearly weren't talking to you (unless you comment anonymously on your own blog, of course).
"People in wheelchairs have a right to go by, as well."
Which is exactly what I said. Of course we agree about that. The photo shows a clear violation and they should be fined. It's not a major fix to move the ramp or move the dumpster so hopefully one or the other has already been done. There are a lot of moving parts/different subcontractors coming and going - once a site manager sees that the dumpster co. left the thing there then they'll address it. Mistakes happen and if an inspector sees it the contractor will rightfully be dinged. Hopefully the infraction (assuming the pic tells the whole story) has already been resolved.
I do not write anonymous comments on my blog. It is unclear who was being addressed in that comment, but "stfu" is totally uncalled for in either case. As far as the situation on Fairmont, I don't see any reason for us to be arguing. You agree that clear violations should be fined, and every photo I've posted was a clear violation, including the cone. The only people who should be arguing are the pedestrians and the county politicians who have been crowing about their big budget pedestrian safety campaign for years. The facts on the streets of Bethesda currently tell a very different story. There's no reason for anyone to criticize me, I'm just asking why this is allowed to go on. I've been getting a lot of emails from readers who have been inconvenienced by the many sidewalk closures around town. I think Bainbridge/Turner had actually done an exemplary job keeping that sidewalk open during the main building phase of the construction.
"You tell some man who takes the time to write on his blog, STFU"
Try again, ignorant (and illiterate) troll. I said no such thing. Sucks that we're all forced to listen to low IQ people blab on the internet.
For anyone interested, the ramp was already moved to the other side of the dumpster before I even had the chance to suggest it to the site workers. Glad they did it. It's important to make sure wheelchairs aren't possibly forced into the traffic lane even for the 20 feet around a dumpster.
7:42 PM - I have to ask, are you a county employee or part of the developer/construction company? From what you said, it sounds like you have a supervisory role at the site. Or just a concerned citizen? The situation with the blocked pathway (at the times it has occurred, not when it is clear) is not only a violation of disability requirements, but also of the county code. Even able-bodied pedestrians are not legally supposed to be entering a traffic lane, much less folks in wheelchairs.
"You can't deny what you said dumbass!"
You are absolutely embarrassing yourself, guy. Spoiler alert: I never told Dyer to STFU. No one ever told Dyer to STFU, which is something I pointed out in my comment. Instead of repeatedly embarrass yourself maybe you should take two seconds and actually read what I wrote, genius.
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Dyer: nope, not associated with the county or site - just a concerned citizen who happens to enjoy urban planning, attend a lot of pre-submission meetings and the sort. I do regularly contact councilmembers and govt agencies and find them usually responsive. Going through 311 instead of contacting departments directly generally seems to work better, in case anyone ever sees a need (such as in this case, prior to the ramp's relocation).
I'd like to hear that you did not say STFU from Robert Dyer himself. Only then will I believe you did not say STFU.
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