Eyes on the Street: City Can’t Keep Up With Snowy Sidewalk Complaints
New Yorkers are told to notify 311 about sidewalks that need to be cleared of snow and ice. That's what I did after I came across the 214th Street steps on Saturday, but as of today my request has yet to be acted on.
Over two days after what was at the time the most recent snowfall, these steps, which are adjacent to Isham Park and connect Park Terrace West with Seaman Avenue, remained covered. I'm fairly able-bodied and would prefer to stay that way, so rather than attempt to get down the stairs I decided to backtrack and take another route.
On Saturday afternoon I filed a service request with 311 online. This morning I got the following message:
Your Service Request was closed.
Work to correct the reported condition has been deferred because of seasonal considerations and will be corrected as soon as possible.
Depending on worker availability every effort is being made to clear the area. Please be patient.
Though streets had long been cleared for motorists by Saturday, the city still hasn't made them passable for New Yorkers on foot. This response makes it seem as if crews can't keep up with dangerous conditions for pedestrians reported to 311.
Sure enough, as of this afternoon the 214th Street steps had not been touched.
Have you gotten results by notifying the city of snowy sidewalks? Let us know in the comments.
After the jump, photos from Ken Coughlin of snowbound NYC bike routes, all taken on Saturday.
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