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The Proprietors of Beacon Hill wish to alert the citizenry to be careful
By adamg on Mon, 02/04/2019 - 9:25pm
Shamus Moynihan reports these signs lined Charles Street tonight, no doubt industriously placed there by the proprietors' loyal manservants, who seem to have been unaware that the signs seem to indicate the Proprietors are actually ordering people to plunge to the ground.
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Comments
Complaint about uneven sidewalks
I don't really know, but I am guessing this sign was put up by someone pissed about the uneven sidewalks.
Of course the use of proprietors is a reference to the original development of Mount Vernon St.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vernon_Proprietors
Slick bricks
Those brick walks get really slippery in cold weather. Been that way forever. Looks to me like the "proprietors" are trying to shield themselves from lawsuits. Has there been some recent ruling that they're liable if somebody falls?
Admitting that they have hazardous conditions
Just like those old "dangerous intersection" signs, many jurisdictions consider this to be an admission of problems that aren't being fixed.
Or like the "I'm stupid"
Or like the "I'm stupid" signs my coworkers keep putting on my back. But it's all in good fun. I think.
Are the proprietors of Beacon
Are the proprietors of Beacon Hill even allowed to fix this problem? Given the historical nature of the neighborhood, I would hardly expect that private business owners are authorized to do repairs or reconstruction on a public sidewalk.
That's why I hate brick sidewalks
They are very dangerous in winter because they ice up badly. They are also dangerous for the disabled or people in heels all year round because of their unevenness.
When historic preservation trumps Disabilities Act
Just another example where historic preservation is viewed more important than public safety.
There needs to be some balance
I'm pro-ADA, but history is important too. Part of the coolness of Charles Street is the fact that things look old. I'm all for putting in ramps at intersections, but I think the brick sidewalks are more important to the character of the city than being 100% handicap accessible.
That's perfectly reasonable
for someone like you, with two fully working legs.
Engineering problem
In the 21st Century, I think it should be possible to make a paver that looks like brick, but doesn't become a big banana peel in cold, wet weather.
Think about the billions the
Think about the billions the city of Boston has blown on car related infrastructure. Many millions every year on salt, plowing, etc. They spare no expense. It is the one thing they go over budget on. If they spent just a tiny fraction of that on sidewalks Boston would be a safer and more pleasant place to live. But the city of Boston only cares about people who drive, so here we are.
Ha ha, they care about the
Ha ha, they care about the drivers! Good one. If my suspension could talk....
accessible brick sidewalks
can certainly be constructed, and have been in some parts of Boston and other cities. Accessibility under the ADA doesn't forbid brick, it just has requirements about how it is laid, joint sizes and so forth. I'm pretty sure that accessible sidewalks are standard when the city is replacing something in one of these neighborhoods--hard to see how they would purposely build something new that isn't ADA (or MAAB) compliant.
The bigger issue is that Beacon Hill can't be accessible because of the grades--it's just too steep in some places and that isn't going to change.
I'm just flattered that they
I'm just flattered that they used that picture of me dancing.
Brick and granite sidewalks look oh so cool
but get very slippery and potentially dangerous. Use to use a liberal amount of sand and/or salt which greatly reduced the potential for falling down on one's ass. Now it's illegalto yo down to a beach to fill up big buckets and sdlt is frowned upon for being environmentally unfriendly and very damaging to one's high end outdoorsy boots. So, we'll back to one falling down on one's ass.