Tuesday, July 28, 2015

ADA, anyone? Parking is not permitted on sidewalks. This IS a sidewalk, right?

I have no beef with the business at the corner of 15th and Spring, and I suspect it hasn't dawned on anyone working there to consider a potential access issue on the sidewalk out front owing to employee parking habits.

Primarily, this is because the city of New Albany has neglected maintaining the sidewalk. We can afford a $9 million water park, but not a gallon of paint.


As with the (until recently) ignored crosswalks on nearby Elm Street, it's another instance of simple striping. At least once since we moved into our current residence in 2003, the city painted yellow stripes on the tarmac to show the sidewalk's configuration in the absence of a road verge.

Emulating local Democratic Party grandees, it has been allowed to fade into nothingness.

Here are three recent views looking west, with the photos taken on different days.




I fully understand that New Albany's Board of Public Works has a full slate of ongoing befuddlement as to who's going to tune the street piano, which just isn't an option, because art shouldn't stray past the boundaries of velvet Elvis and dogs playing poker.

But I believe the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act is to make the boundaries of the sidewalk clear and accessible. Perhaps the chairman can add this one to his burgeoning agenda.

4 comments:

Iamhoosier said...

"Sorry, we have no written policy, no written policy, no written policy,..."

TSOLfan said...

Perhaps sidewalk parking is permitted, and we just don't realize it:

https://goo.gl/maps/sTa6B

And if that's indeed the case, until the Jeff Speck proposal of a road diet on Spring East of Vincennes gets implemented to allow for on street parking, I have more parking that I realize, with front door access no less!

The New Albanian said...

Talk about ironic. I posted this ADA article this morning, and then walked down to Quills for coffee. About a year and a half ago, there was a brief discussion of the copier boys parking on the sidewalk. I made my point and let it go, but today, walking on the south side of the street -- and with the scene looking just like this one -- I heard someone inside the building yelling at me: "Hey Mayor!" ... "Hey Mayor!"

And here I didn't think they could read ... although maybe they just looked at the pictures.

w&la said...

Parking on a New Albany city sidewalk is illegal.

From the City of New Albany's adopted Ordinances:

§ 72.18 PROHIBITED PARKING AREAS.
(A) (1) No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any of the following places:
(a) On a sidewalk;
(b) In front of, or otherwise blocking access to, a public or private drive;
(c) Within an intersection;
(d) Within ten feet of a fire hydrant;
(e) On a crosswalk;
(f) On a tree lawn, the space between the street curb and the sidewalk; and
(g) Front yard, side yard, rear yard or courtyard other than a designated driveway.

These prohibitions can be found in the ordinances at:

http://www.amlegal.com/library/in/newalbany.shtml

Look for:

TITLE VII: TRAFFIC CODE; CHAPTER 72: PARKING REGULATIONS