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Los Angeles has thousands of miles of failed sidewalks. Buckled, cracked, missing chunks or completey destroyed, the problem leaves the city paying out $2 to $4 million in trip and fall lawsuits each year. The city's budget only provides for fixing less than one hundred miles a year leaving residents on a wait list for 83 years to have their sidewalk fixed.
For nearly four years, a proposal has been making its way through the bureaucracy and today arrives at a a City Council committee meeting (.pdf) where the City Attorney will discuss amending local law to force property owners to repair sidewalks at point of sale, something various real estate associations oppose (.pdf).
"Half of all properties in Los Angeles are sold at least once every decade. Because the turnover rate is about the same all over the city, sidewalks will be repaired at about the same rate," explains the motion from September of 2005. "In addition, there is a clear economic development benefit to this proposal. It is estimated that in the first year of a point-of-sale program, 460 miles of sidewalks would be repaired, total local wages would increase $102 million, and 2,600 new jobs would be created with average annual wages and benefits of $39,000," it continued as if the recession and "shovel ready projects" were a buzz phrases back then.
A 2007 focus group found (.pdf) that 83% of the city would support such a policy and that 78% would support a bond measure to fund sidewalk repair. A 50/50 program--property owner pays 50 percent, the city of the other half--was popular enough that a wait list was created, but funding was suspended this year.
For the Record: The original posting indicated that the 50/50 program was still in affect.
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Hold everything! The city pays out MILLIONS OF DOLLARS every year for people who trip over broken sidewalks? Uhhh....where do I sign up?
Yeah, I've heard that it's almost like an automatic $60k settlement the city does with these lawsuits.
Wow! I tripped over a sidewalk a year and a half ago! What's the statute of limitations on these babies? Of course I WAS wearing 4 inch heels at the time. Maybe I could sue the shoe company too!
How much are they going to spend going after people who DON'T fix the sidewalks? Also, bonds are B.S., as the state of California is finding out. It just delays having to pay, like putting something on a credit card.
seriously...I trip on downtown sidewalks at least once a week. Messed up my toe once too....
Nice to know they pay people for it.
I was on jury duty a few months ago and went through voir dire on a trip and fall case. Some woman was walking down the sidewalk, tripped, and was suing the city for massive damages. Unbelievable. I was dismissed when I told them I believe in taking personal responsibility for one's actions and wouldn't be able to be impartial. :)
Heard a story on KPCC a few years ago: some time ago the city decided to was cheaper to get sued than it was to repair all of the sidewalks as quickly as needed. That is for real. There is also a program where you can pay a big fee ($1500?) to get the sidewalk in front of your property moved up in priority for repairs.
Maybe they should make "patch it kits" available?
It wouldn't be pretty, but it could fill the *worst" holes/cracks. Cement's pretty cheap.
they just repaved the perfectly smooth street in front of the downtown ralphs for like the millionth time. meanwhile, the sidewalks could double as X-games skate ramps for the fixed gear riders on the sidewalk looking cool.
Use the stimulus money on repairing and/or installing sidewalks! That sounds very simply and easy way to get out of the recession, by doing this one step towards a transit oriented neighborhood by having sidewalk in good repair that leads to transit stops.
Yet in L.A., the classist notion is *very* much, "only the lowest social castes ever use the sidewalks" - hence the inattention.
Ever notice how the rich neighborhoods often *remove* their sidewalks, or design whole gated enclaves *without* them?