Blocked sidewalk is dangerous
When a utility contractor digs a hole in a sidewalk and barricades it without making provisions for pedestrian safety, they’re in the wrong business.
Anyone who regularly reads this column knows we detest the indifference of utility contractors to the public interest. If cutting corners improves profits, some contractors will absolutely cut corners.
The city has a lengthy list of rules that govern how utilities are allowed to carve into roads and sidewalks. If they were strictly enforced, the public interest would be much higher on the list of things contractors pay attention to.
But the city has never been able to effectively enforce its rules, because it can’t afford enough inspection capacity. And with Doug Ford making huge cuts to Toronto’s provincial funding, it won’t get any better.
So it’s the wild west for contractors, who know they can get away with a lot because the city can’t effectively enforce its rules.
We were reminded of this while driving up Markham Rd., north of Highway 401, and spotted fencing around a big sheet of plywood atop a utility cut in the sidewalk on the east side, north of Milner Ave.
While we were passing it, we noticed a woman walking along the edge of the curb lane, with traffic travelling at a zippy speed no more than a few feet away from her.
It made enough of an impression on us that we pulled over to take a look. It was apparent that no provisions had been made for people to safely detour around it.
The alternate route was for pedestrians to walk onto the boulevard, where the combination of foot traffic and daily rain had turned it into a mud pit.
Tire tracks in the mud from wheelchairs, motorized scooters and bicycles underscored that there’s nowhere else for people to get around it.
If that wasn’t enough, we shot photos of a couple with their young son, who was wearing a face mask better suited to Halloween, tiptoeing along the edge of the curb lane.
No doubt they’d have been on the sidewalk, and much safer, if it had not been closed. Status: We sent s note and photos to Edison Alexander, who’s in charge of road operations in that area. He replied that he’s looking into it, adding that a photo of the young family walking along the edge of a very busy curb lane is “pretty disturbing.”
What's broken in your neighbourhood? We want to know. Email
jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter