To the Editor:
After establishment of the city of Syracuse’s Municipal Sidewalk Program, I was among many city residents who were excited that the uneven, crumbling sidewalk problem would finally be remedied and pedestrians would be able to walk, run or bike freely without the concern of falling or breaking an ankle on uneven sidewalks.
Now, two years into the Municipal Sidewalk Program, the city’s efforts in repairing damaged and decaying sidewalks have been mediocre at best. Sidewalks are crumbling and continuing to decay, pedestrians are unable to safely traverse without risk of injury, and to take the cake, the city is unwilling to take residents’ request for repair or accept liability for their own decaying infrastructure.
The Syracuse City Charter (Section 8-115) states, in essence, that the city is not liable to civil actions for damages to persons or property as a result of unsafe or dangerous conditions, unless written notice is given to the commissioner of public works and that there is a failure or neglect to repair the defect. Just a mere two years ago, Syracuse homeowners would not only be liable for property damage or injury to others as a result defective sidewalks, but the city would force homeowners (at the homeowners’ expense) to repair sidewalks. Now that the city has taken responsibility for sidewalk maintenance, why do the same penalties not apply to the city? This seems like a clear case of “rules for thee but not for me.”
After discussions with numerous community members, some who have been injured as a result of the decaying sidewalks, I would encourage anyone using public sidewalks to report any and all hazardous sidewalk conditions to Cityline at (315) 448-CITY (2489) or use the online web portal SYRCityline. Written notification is the only way the city will act to avoid liability and potential lawsuits.
Michael Mellen
Syracuse