365 NE Greenwood - Progress

I happened to pass 365 NE Greenwood on my run last night. For the first time in a year or two, I could use the entire sidewalk without being scrapped by the overhanging shrubs.

The funny thing is, I never even got around to emailing the city, or anyone about this one. Maybe it was just a coincidence that it got fixed right after I posted about it.

I'll try to get some photos of the improvements and put them up.

365 NE Greenwood - Overgrown Vegetation

Problems with the sidewalks are not always limited to the concrete. When the vegetation along the sidewalk becomes overgrown, this can be a bigger problem than cracked concrete.

The photos below were taken on April 24. Since we are now 3 further along in the growing season, this situation is much worse.

Photo 1 - The shrubs just beyond the telephone pole are the problem. Note that the first shrub isn't even living anymore, but it still overhangs about half of the sidewalk.




Photo 2 - Looking West. Notice how much the sidewalk is obstructed by these shrubs.




Photo 3 - A closer view looking east.

Photo 4 - Another view looking east.



Additionally, there is a pretty good trip hazard on the concrete, at the eastern edge of the driveway. It is visible in the foreground of the Photo 1.

I'm going to forward a link to this posting to a few people at the City and see if they enforce the codes on this property owner.

661 NE Greenwood - Repaired!

I should have done this a long time ago. I have been pretty busy and haven't had much time to keep this blog going.

Right around the end of May, the sidewalk at 661 NE Greenwood was repaired. Thanks to the owners of this business for getting the job done. The new sections of sidewalk look good, and are much safer for everyone.

Stormwater

Probably the greatest shortcoming in Bend's infrastructure is the lack of adequate stormwater handling. This photo was taken on the evening of July 21 at the intersection of NE 3rd St and Greenwood Avenue. Also, these were taken several hours after the rain stopped falling.

As you can see, the puddle is rather deep. The astonishing thing is that it is right on top of a storm drain. The problem is that these drains are really just dry wells. When the dry well is full of water, or cinders from last winter, the water has nowhere to go, so it just backs up.

Officially, less than 0.1" of rainfall was recorded at the Bend Airport. Of course, since the airport is east of town, it is possible that there was more rainfall in town. It is no wonder the underpasses flood several times every year.

Woman struck by train at NE Bend rail crossing

Here is the text of a brief article listed on KTVZ.com

A 25-year-old Bend woman was struck and injured by a train early Saturday at a northeast Bend railroad crossing, police said.

Bend police and fire medics responded around 12:50 a.m. to the report of someone struck by a train at the Northeast Olney Avenue railroad crossing, said Sgt. Tom Pine.

The woman was taken to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend by ambulance for treatment of her injuries, Pine said, adding that her identity and other information were not being released at this time.

I don't like to speculate about incidents like this. But I am willing to bet that the horrible condition of the sidewalk at this crossing did not help her cross the tracks safely.

It will be interesting to see if the media actually covers this story, or if this is the only mention of it.

Dark Tunnel (Could Someone Please Turn on the Lights), Franklin Ave Underpass

If you have ever walked between downtown and 3rd Street on Franklin Ave, you have passed through the Franklin Street pedestrian underpass.

During the day, this is not the greatest walk in the world. The underpass is loud, dirty, and often displaying graffiti. And the sidewalk usually is littered with something, trash, partially eaten meals, broken glass, or tattered clothing or blankets.

Now, walk through there at night, and it is even worse. There are lights in the underpass, but they just don't work. I have never seen all of the lights turned on in either of the tunnels. At the time of this photograph, each tunnel had only 1 of 4 bulbs working.

In these dark conditions, it is hard to find your way if there is anything laying on the sidewalk. Additionally, bicycles often use the tunnels, and without lights, the likelihood of a bicycle-pedestrian collision is pretty good. And if the lights were functioning, it might actually help to prevent the ever-present graffiti.

Olney Ave, Railroad Crossing

Last night, on my run, I headed down Olney Ave to get to the Portland Ave Bridge. I have crossed these tracks many times before, and every time, I am amazed by the awful condition of this crossing. I won't even call it a sidewalk, because one doesn't really exist. As you approach the tracks, the concrete just ends. There are some discontinuous pieces of asphalt paving in the section of the tracks, but it would be a huge stretch to call it a sidewalk.


I'll try to get some photos of the crossing. I'll see what the city has to say about this crossing. I am guessing that they will say it is responsibility of BNSF, who owns the tracks.

661 NE Greenwood, Response from City

Yesterday, I got an email response from a Code Enforcement Officer with the City of Bend about this property. They were requesting that I fill out a complain form about this address. Then they will contact the property owner with a notice that repairs are required on the sidewalk.

I replied today to keep things moving along. So, we'll see where things go from here.

661 NE Greenwood, Letter Sent

I just dropped a letter in the mail to the owners of 661 NE Greenwood. Additionally, I copied the owner of the business at that address. Later today, I'll email a copy of it to a few people at the city to make them aware of the problems with the sidewalk at this location.

661 NE Greenwood

While walking the dog tonight, we were heading down Greenwood. It isn't a nice road, but it goes where we need it to, so sometimes, we walk along it. For months (maybe even a year or more), the sidewalk in front of 661 NE Greenwood has had some serious problems.

For a while, this section of sidewalk had cracked across and heaved upward, almost like techtonic plates forming a mountain range. More recently, the sidewalk has settled, but it has left the concrete as a jumbled mess at 661 NE Greenwood.

However, in the past week or two, I have noticed some activity in this area. Someone, maybe the building owner or tennant, has been trying to clean up the landscape and make some improvements. However, as you can see in the photos, they have done nothing about the sidewalk. This seems crazy. Why would you put lipstick on a pig? If you have a broken sidewalk (that is your responsibility) in front of your building or business, wouldn't you spend your money on repairing this, instead of putting up a little fence and a picnic table?

I'm planning to send a letter to the owners of this building to help them become aware of this problem.

Trying to improve our city...

I went running tonight. Sometimes when I run, think about things. Often I end up thinking about the degraded sidewalks I am running on. Then I get thinking about the other people who I see on the sidewalks. It seems there are two types of people who you see travelling on the sidewalks: recreational users, and those who use sidewalks out of necessity. This second group is very diverse, but they all have the same reason to be on the sidewalk: They have someplace to go.

So, while I am frustrated by crumbling, cracked and broken sidewalks, I always wonder how it must make these necessity users feel. I am out there because I want to be. But they are on the sidewalks because they need to be. They have places to go, buses to catch, groceries to get, kids to take to school, etc. Circumstances in their lives have prevented them from travelling by other means, so they are walking. Maybe their car needs repairs. Maybe they don't have a car. Some of them have physical handicaps which prevent them from driving, and make walking on good sidewalks a challenge. For these people, problems in the sidewalks are a real annoyance, and sometimes a safety concern.

So tonight, I got thinking that maybe this problem needs a little more publicity. Maybe by creating a greater awareness, those responsible for sidewalks would repair and maintain them a little better. I guess maybe we'll see...