Cheap asphalt fix will only make things worse
We get complaints from all sorts of people, but when a physician says his patients are struggling with the bumpy asphalt used to replace the sidewalk in front of his office, it’s code red on our triage. Dr. Daniel Yim emailed to say the sidewalk on the north side of Finch Ave., two blocks east of Yonge St., was dug up last June for utility work and filled with asphalt. The asphalt “is in disrepair and a hazard to our patients and the walking public,” said Yim, adding that nothing has been done, despite complaints to 311. We went there and found that a 50-metre section of sidewalk, running west from the corner of Finch and Dudley Ave., had been removed and replaced with asphalt that slopes down toward the curb. Paving stones that once filled the boulevard between the sidewalk and the curb were taken out along that stretch and piled on the lawn of the medical building where Yim’s office is located, at Finch and Dudley. The curb and part of the street were also excavated for the project, replaced by a temporary asphalt ridge that runs along the edge of the road, between the sidewalk and a trench where the paving stones used to be. We didn’t have an appointment, but went inside and talked to Yim, who told us the sloped asphalt is a problem for patients with mobility issues, and will be much worse when it ices over in winter.
“So we called the city and told them about it, but nobody will take ownership of the problem,” he said.
Traffic markers between the road and sidewalk have been knocked over, while some of the paving stones stacked on the lawn of the building have been scattered, as if finishing the job has been forgotten.
Once the city spreads salt to melt the ice, the temporary asphalt is likely to start crumbling, which will only makes things worse.
STATUS: Hector Moreno, who’s in charge of road operations in that area, emailed to say he has asked his staff to look into it and will get back to us ASAP.