Crosswalks Work Better Without Trucks in Them
Last Saturday morning I went out for a walk…ur…stroll in my wheelchair. I had no issues until I reached 8th & Locust (map) – 8 blocks East of my place.
I was trying to continue Eastbound along Locust, crossing 8th. One block of 8th from Washington Ave to Locust has been closed for a while now as construction crews for the Roberts Tower use the road for staging. They left the sidewalk open on the East side of 8th. That is where I was headed so I could get back to Washington Ave. Directly in my path is a big truck. Parked. Nobody in sight to yell at either. I was able to go around and get to my destination but going out of the crosswalk lines does carry risks — even on a slow Saturday morning.
Other times I’ve seen the gate for their construction fence blocking the crosswalk. Our sidewalks are not packed with pedestrians but we do exist.  Think before you park in a crosswalk!
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I know a lot of folks don’t like hearing how Denver does things better, but when it comes to issues like this (and other previous posts), they do. Instead of having the Treasurer responsible for paid parking enforcement and Streets responsible for right-of-way issues, as they do here, in Denver, one office, Right of Way Enforcement, is responsible for both. The advantages are a single focus, a comprehensive perspective and enforcement happening even on non-revenue-generating violations. Here, it appears that this truck won’t be ticketed simply because it’s not in a designated space – it’s a “Streets” issue, not a “Parking Enforcement” issue, as in, “It’s not my job”!
In St. Louis, Treasurer Larry C. Williams is Chairman of the Parking Commission. “As supervisor of parking, he is responsible for the installation and operation of approximately 10,000 meters on the street, twenty-five parking enforcement officers, and the daily operation of the Kiel Parking Garage (home of the St. Louis Blues) [and] Other off-street facilities . . . The Treasurer is now currently focused on the efficient and effective distribution of parking in the City, especially the Central Business District. He believes our downtown should house a larger-living, urban environment. Mr. Williams’ way of achieving maximum revitalization of our urban center is through the cooperation and intercommunication of the public and private sector.”
In addition, “The Department of Streets is responsible for overseeing the repair, cleaning and maintenance of all public streets, alleys and other City right of-way . . . Through Right-of Way management, the Director’s office also oversees . . . the issuance of all permits pertaining to street blocking, parades, parking, taxicabs, transportation, and sidewalks and driveways . . . ” (both quotes from the city’s website)
In Denver, “Right of Way Enforcement issues citations for both on-street, off-street and private property parking violations. It administers vehicle booting and towing for the City, provides parking enforcement for sporting events, special events, holidays, concerts, and after-hours university events, and performs field checks and investigations of contested tickets. Enforcement also installs, repairs and maintains parking meters and parking pay stations in addition to collecting the fees from the meters and pay stations. ROWE enforces parking regulations, collects parking fines and penalties, and administers the Residential Parking Permit and meter Cash Key programs. It also analyzes Denver’s parking ordinances and the overall parking system.” (http://www.denvergov.org/HomePage/tabid/391666/Default.aspx)
Could something similar happen here? I don’t know. My guess is that no jobs nor any revenue would be lost; if anything, giving the Treasurer the ability to enforce right-of-way violations should result in both a few more jobs and higher revenues (from fines). The two big hurdles are likely egos and “pots of money”. Most bureaucrats and very few elected officials are willing to give up ANY “power”. And while logic says that it should be pretty easy to have Streets issue the permits and for the Treasurer to enforce them, since “we’ve always done it the other way”, it likely won’t be changing anytime soon . . .
Call the police. They’ll tow it.
No JZ I don’t mind hearing how Denver does it better. It’s obvious that Denver is growing, prospering and its citizens are enjoying better lifestyles than those in our area. Steve’s right, “our system is set up to fail”. But worse, it is designed to increase the power of elected officials who take full advantage of favoritism, selective enforcement and other “quaint” ideas. As one commenter likes to preach, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in St. Louis, same rule applies.” And that is why the region continues to fail.
Sure, you can call the Police. But their priorities are murders and rapes first, robberies and burglaries second, traffic accidents and domestic violence calls third, speeding fourth, and “minor” stuff like this and grafitti and littering and running stop signs WAY down the list/if and when they have a chance. Better to have a separate force dedicated to protecting the city’s ROW!
Jim, I don’t mind hearing about how things are done better elsewhere either (nor do I mind your “diatribes” — I see them as thoughtful and informed). We all know there is a lot of room for improvement and the best places to look are obviously the more prosperous ones. It may be fighting windmills but I have fought for harder causes.
A Tale of Three Wards
I am dealing with my own little parochial fiasco right now. I live in one ward but own rental properties in an adjacent ward and travel through yet another adjacent ward daily.
In one case there has been an abandoned car in front of a vacant property I once owned. After a month of making mental notes to contact the CSB I log on to find out they do not take such complaints and I would have to call the police. Police called. To their credit, tickets were issued that afternoon (thank you). However, two weeks later, the car remains (and the tickets). I made it clear when I called it in that the car was clearly abandoned and probably stolen (no plates, flat tires). The police have taken no further action though they drive up and down this street frequently throughout the day because it is a street that is a known trouble spot and they have been concentrating on it for months (years?). The house where the car is parked is vacant and the back yard full of interior demolition debris and weeds up to my ears. I know good people who live next door and they shouldn’t have to put up with it. I travel this way to my property in the same ward where I have been trying to get Forestry to trim the street trees that bang up against my second floor window in the wind and has many dangerously dangling large branches. Exasperated with any movement I contacted the alderman today. He was happy to help and said he put in “Aldermanic Service Requests” on each of my concerns. Why do I need to have a personal relationship with an elected official to get the services I pay for? Luckily, I can pick up the phone and call anytime since I do have that kind of relationship with him. Thank you.
In my own ward there is a pizza delivery place at the end of the block. Frequently when I turn out of the alley on the cross street their drivers are pulling away from the curb from which they parked in the wrong direction (lazy asses). I also walk my dog by there frequently and have more than once witnessed the police actively ignoring this situation. I contacted CSB about this a long time ago. It continued until recently so I called my alderman. He was happy to take care of it. He wrote the manager a letter admonishing the practice and copied me on it. I haven’t noticed a problem since. Thank you.
In another adjacent ward I drive daily by a gas station that has been under “renovation” for months from a service station to a convenience store without a permit. None is displayed and being an architect I can recognize non-code and ADA compliant work even from the street. I contacted CSB and sent an email to that ward’s alderman via the electronic form on the city’s website — no response. After a couple of weeks I forwarded the email outlining my concern to the alderman’s business email and was replied to immediately. He said he would send a building inspector over there TODAY! Thank you.
Again, why should I have to go through three different elected legislators to get action on matters of city services all within a few blocks of my home? I have had other claims with the CSB that were handled (albeit slowly and once curtly). Thanks anyway.
Stupid runs verily deep in these parts. I see this kind of thing in STL continuously. People stopping in the middle of the street to unload or load passengers, smoking directly adjacent to the entrances of public buildings, pulling u-turns at 4-way stops, making turns not into the first available lane, the list goes on and on. I have lived all over North America and never have I seen anything like it.
I agree with Reginald. Get the car towed. If the police won’t come, call a local investigative journalist from one of the tv news channels.
I’m a believer of the “broken window” theory. Fix smaller problems like this, and some of the bigger issues will resolve themselves.
Dole, I agree. But it shouldn’t be left up to the public to figure out whether to call the Police, Streets, Parking Enforcement and/or “a local investigative journalist from one of the tv news channels” to solve a problem like this or to see consistent enforcement. Whoever is issuing a permit or is tasked with enforcing with enforcing the law and/or the permit’s requirments should be given the resources (money, people and equipment) to do so. My guess is that Streets does very little in the way of enforcement, and then only on a complaint basis, simply because the fees collected for permits come nowhere near to covering the cost of one or more full-time enforcement people. I’m also guessing that Parking Enforcement is “left out of the loop” when permits are issued, so they err on the side of caution and only focus on meter violations and violations of posted restrictions.
For “broken windows” to work, enforcement is the first step. In my 5 years here, I think I’ve received 2 parking tickets. In Denver, I expected to, and did, receive a ticket every two or three months. My observation is that enforcement in St. Louis is probably one-tenth that of Denver’s. Part of it is less competition for the ROW, part of it is a different attitude, part of it is our higher crime rate (and the need to focus on the “more-serious” crimes) and part of it is the “not my job” part. Would St. Louis residents tolerate 2, 4, 8 or 10 times the current enforcement levels? In the name of creating a more-urban city? Even if it were revenue-positive (generating more in fines than the cost of adding more enforcement personnel)? I’m guessing not. We only need to look at the pushback on redlight cameras . . .
Steve,
Thanks for this post. Cars rule in St Louis. I am a runner who DAILY has near misses from people who cut me off by pulling into a driveway in front of me, nearly running over my toes. Or who park a large truck right in front of a stop sign so other drivers don’t see it and run the intersection. Or who try to make a right turn in front of me when the light turns green.
Why is it that in St Louis, you can park on the side of a street, immediately empowering yourself to take out a lane of traffic? There are plenty of examples of this in the city.
Jimmy Z is right, we need consistent enforcement. Where I lived in Illinois, the city put up a sign in my neighborhood, “No Parking, $175 fine.” And it was enforced–ouch. Made anyone think twice about whether or not they wanted to park there. Oh, and the city averaged an income of about $175 twice/week for about two months. Paid for the sign and then some.
This should be fun:
http://www.platewire.com/location/?Missouri
Not only should the police enforce these violations, but the police department is charged with right of way enforcement. They have the responsibility and the power. Sure, many dispatchers won’t have much interest in pushing a call about right of way violation to the top of the response list, but after a few such calls most dispatchers will realize that citizens are serious about stopping this stuff. (I do know how hard it can be to get dispatchers to take calls about “minor” violations seriously, but 911 is always my first stop.)
The City Treasurer’s office should not be charged with enforcement of right of way violation — it should be abolished and its functions merged with the Comptroller’s office.