State Sidewalks Still Inaccessible, Dorchester Reporter Asks Why

Posted by John B. Kelly

It was such a beautiful day today, I took a little access-inspection walk. Although I could see a lot of sidewalk concrete from my window, I found that the sidewalk along both the Fenway and both sides of Agassiz Road were impassable. The inaccessibility of the Fenway sidewalk means that I cannot go south on the Fenway, because the building side lacks curb cuts down at the Forsyth Institute.

On the less-blocked Agassiz sidewalk, I ran into a neighborhood wheelchair user who complained bitterly about the crappy sidewalks. She said her six wheel Jazzy wheelchair did pretty well on the snow and ice (I'm shopping for a new chair, and am definitely done with Invacare 6 wheelers, which have terrible suspension and can barely back up in the best conditions). I ran into another wheelchair user who, like me, was in the middle of Agassiz Road.

Chris Hart from Adaptive Environments sent along a couple of articles from the December 20 edition of the Dorchester Reporter, in which editor Bill Forry detailed the new snow ordnance (no other newspaper bothered) and described a ride he took with code enforcement supervisor Captain Michael Mackan, who wrote a number of tickets to Dorchester businesses.

"I think these increased fines may give a bit more incentive. I have noticed an improvement in some parts of the city, " Mackan said.

Forry observes that it isn't just businesses slipping up.

On a brief driving tour, the Reporter spotted a number of municipal and state properties that were also in violation of the city ordinance to clear a 42" wide path, enough to allow passage for a wheelchair. The Morrissey Boulevard sidewalk along the MBTA-owned JFK-UMass station grounds was still a frozen tundra on Tuesday, with high school students and other pedestrians seen taking their chances on the busy roadway. Mackan placed a stern call to an MBTA representative with a warning that a ticket would be forthcoming if the transit agency didn't fix the problem. In Fields Corner, where residents have complained of poor shoveling at the T station in years past, the sidewalks were clear. Mackan wanted to know if the T somehow misplaced their shovels at JFK-UMass.

The city of Boston had its share of fall-downs too. Mackan called the city's Parks Department, which is responsible for clearing walks along their land. At three places on Tuesday - Dorchester Park, Peabody Square, and Ryan Playground, it was clear that had not been done.

Mackan and other veteran inspectors often use their own discretion as they circle the city and spot violations, but when called to a property by a phoned-in complaint where a violation exists, they are likely to write it up.

So the city is willing to ticket small businesses, but gives itself and the state a pass with a "stern" phone call. In an accompanying editorial, Forry asks the obvious question: "If residents are expected to clear their sidewalks, shouldn't city property-owned be held to the same standard?"

Indeed, with the Department of Conservation and Recreation saying that the city doesn't have the power to issue it tickets, nor that it is bound by Boston city ordinances, we definitely have a problem here. I usually tell people that I live in Boston, but maybe I should start saying I live in DCR.