June 14, 2015
PITFALLS AND POTHOLES
Safety is a primary issue for handicapped people. Following is a story I want to share involving safety:
I go to the San Diego Public Library, North Clairemont Branch, twice a week for tutoring in reading and math. My mom or a care provider takes me. We have trouble getting into the library because there is a HUGE pothole in the middle of the accessible walkway.
Also, there is only one accessible parking space, so on most days we must park at the end of the parking lot. The problem is that the entire parking lot is filled with HUGE potholes. To my mom and me, and as my mom describes it, walking through this parking lot of potholes in my walker is like walking in a mine field. To make it even worse, one of the biggest potholes is right smack in the middle of the accessible walkway. It is difficult for me to miss that pothole due to my visual motor issues. By the time we get to the library door, we are usually trembling and exhausted and late for tutoring.
We told the library staff on the first day we experienced this problem, and they let us know that they were well aware of the issue and that they had already called the City on many occasions. It seems to be a standing joke among the library staff. They said that the City does not come out to address the complaints, and that when they did come out in the past, they fixed one pothole by building a mound, so that now instead of a hole in that place, there is a great big hump, which is just another hazard.
The staff told us that two people have fallen there, and still the City does nothing about this hazardous problem.
The library is not the only place where this happens, but this location is among the worst I have seen. It is the responsibility of all people to care about, report, and follow through on this problem that affects the safety of everyone—especially, the elderly and disabled people.
Please let administrators of hazardous sites know of these problems, and please write your local representatives to enlist their help in getting these hazardous areas corrected.
The person ultimately in charge of the area for the North Branch of the San Diego Public Library is Chris Cate, and his contact information is as follows:
Chris Cate
Council District 6
City Administration Building
202 C Street, 10th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 236-6616
ChrisCate@sandiego.gov
Thank you all for your continued concern and efforts to improve the lives of disabled people.
Jaime. This parking lot is a joke! I had no idea there have been complaints because of falls that (I bet) caused injury and no one has fixed the problem-the potholes! This is looking pretty bad on them! I guess they may learn their lesson when someone sues them because of injury!
Thanks, Libby! I hope it doesn’t come to anything drastic like a serious injury or a law suit.
Call KUSI Turko files and expose these issues to the media.
Right now, we are working through letters to the City and Councilman Cate. The head librarian says that a service order has been issued. It is a matter of how long they will leave this hazardous area as it is and risking the lives of people, including the elderly and disabled. If repairs are not made soon, KUSI will be next. Thanks, Ben!
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