Road resurfacing

I believe that the city’s resurfacing priorities and curb and sidewalk program should focus solely on arterial and collector roads.  Local residential roads should only be considered if they are at the point of failure. If not at the point of failure, these local streets should be appropriately patched.

While the city’s policy to try to balance the resurfacing program by allotting approximately 75% to arterials and 25% to residential streets is commendable, I believe that because of the limited funding, higher speed and traffic arterial streets should get 100% of the resurfacing dollars.  To me, it is a fundamental waste of resources for a local street to get repaved, while the surrounding arterials are crater-filled hazard zones.  While only a few people drive on the local streets, everyone drives on the arterials.  The pothole problem on arterials streets is directly related to the increasing time lag between resurfacings.  Arterial streets that have been fairly recently resurfaced have few, if any potholes, while those that haven’t are riddled with them.  These potholes cause expensive damage to vehicles, damage that people can not afford, particularly with the inflationary economy of the last several years.  These potholes can also cause accidents and injuries. 

However, the people who live on the local streets are well aware of where the potholes are and can easily avoid them because of the lack of competing traffic.  Frankly, the best way to control speeds on local roads is to not resurface them so that remain rather rough.  The bumps and dips on the local street help deter most speeders; drivers of clunkers not withstanding.  Oh, and try riding public transportation over these arterial roads; it is not fun to literally get bounced out of your seat.  Frankly, the people who whine and complain about the patch of asphalt in front of their homes needing paving are generally selfishly motivated.  Anyone really concerned about their community would put their selfish concerns last and focus on what is best for the larger community.

For those reasons, I am asking that no requests be made to pave local streets, and I would ask that DPW only resurface those local streets that are at a point of failure. 

Lastly, I would ask that sidewalk priorities also be focused on arterial roads for many of the same reasons.  Although, the DPW’s general policy is to not construct new sidewalks, so as not to add to the future repair inventory; it seems to me that eliminating sidewalk gaps along arterial streets is much more important, particularly more important than replacing sidewalks along local streets, again, since the pedestrian traffic on arterial streets is heavier and generally transportation-related and not recreational.  I would ask that the curb and sidewalk program focus on eliminating sidewalk gaps along arterial streets and extending the sidewalk network in major traffic areas.

Again, I am asking that requests not be made to rehab sidewalks along local streets, but that instead requests are made to eliminate sidewalk gaps and extend sidewalks on arterials.