Description
Sidewalk needs to be replaced. It is. real trip hazard.
also asked...
Q. Please describe in detail the issue.
A. City cut tree, but did not grind stump.
A. City cut tree, but did not grind stump.
Sidewalk needs to be replaced. It is. real trip hazard.
7 Comments
Acknowledged City of Houston 311 (Verified Official)
Eagle Eye (Registered User)
Montrose Dad (Registered User)
That is also my understanding. We did a survey of the top 20 cities by population and found that they all had similarly ordinances. If you live in places with snow, property owners are also required to clear the snow and there are heavy fines per day for noncompliance.
The problem is that Houston does not compel the owner to fix the sidewalk like they should. By refusing to do this they become liable for any injuries that occur. This is what happened to Atlanta recently (see http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/18441000/city-to-pay-3m-to-settle-lawsuit-over-sidewalk-accident).
It is really a catch 22 for politicians. For many administrations they City ignored sidewalks and enforcement and now it is hard to tell property owners to fix their sidewalks per the law. The reality is that people are moving to so called walkable neighborhoods to be close to services and want to walk. The population is getting older. Injuries will increase and lawsuits will be more common.
Closed City of Houston 311 (Verified Official)
Service Request Resolved
property owners responsibility
Anonymous (Registered User)
Montrose Dad,
I was hoping this would actually get addressed by COH. It would be great if COH took ownership of sidewalk reapirs, but that is probably pretty expensive given how bad a lot of our sidewalks are. See, I'm not unreasonable.
In a previous post on another incident, I stated that potential lawsuits will prob. drive action in the community once people start going that route. It's a shame it has to come to that.
Teresa González (Guest)
Montrose Dad (Registered User)