Hideously Hazardous Sidewalks

[RocketSci]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Fair question, but that's the law. It's a pretty common legal arrangement around the country.

Property owners have primary responsibility for everything at the surface from the curb to the edge of the public right of way. So, yes, that means they are also responsible for fixing broken curbs and maintaining street trees, unless another entity has gotten permission to step into that role or the municipality chooses to do so (very rare).

So the law is not enforced and everyone knows it. Business owners along major streets don't maintain sidewalks or trees either, there are even grown-over metal posts permanently stuck in the trees on Richmond, and the cobblestone sidewalks (installed by the city) are unwalkable in many areas. I once looked at repairing/replacing part of my own sidewalk, and it can be very expensive as the contractor said that they needed to get a city permit with engineering drawing, a tree inspector to protect old growth tree, expand the width of the sidewalk (taking more property) from 3 to 4 foot due to new code, and that it would be priced higher since its length wasn't a full truckload so I would have to pay for the whole load.

What some cities do (Austin I believe) is the city will hire designated contractors to maintain the sidewalks and tag it onto your tax bill. This way a whole block can be done at once rather than a single house here and there. The one time tax charge can even be spread out over several years, or passed onto the next buyer.

[Hopeful for Life]

Originally Posted by RocketSci

So the law is not enforced and everyone knows it. Business owners along major streets don't maintain sidewalks or trees either, there are even grown-over metal posts permanently stuck in the trees on Richmond, and the cobblestone sidewalks (installed by the city) are unwalkable in many areas. I once looked at repairing/replacing part of my own sidewalk, and it can be very expensive as the contractor said that they needed to get a city permit with engineering drawing, a tree inspector to protect old growth tree, expand the width of the sidewalk (taking more property) from 3 to 4 foot due to new code, and that it would be priced higher since its length wasn't a full truckload so I would have to pay for the whole load.

What some cities do (Austin I believe) is the city will hire designated contractors to maintain the sidewalks and tag it onto your tax bill. This way a whole block can be done at once rather than a single house here and there. The one time tax charge can even be spread out over several years, or passed onto the next buyer.

Any idea what that kind of charge is like for one “section” of sidewalk? Thank goodness that I don’t need any improvement.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by dejamiller

They will also ticket you here if you block the sidewalk even if it cuts across your property.

Unless it's been wrongly placed, the sidewalk does NOT cut across your property. Normally, everything from back edge of the sidewalk to back edge of sidewalk (including the landscape strips, curbs, and roadway) are public right of way (if the street is a public street). But, the abutting property owner has primary legal responsibility for maintaining up to and including the curb.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by RocketSci

So the law is not enforced and everyone knows it. Business owners along major streets don't maintain sidewalks or trees either, there are even grown-over metal posts permanently stuck in the trees on Richmond, and the cobblestone sidewalks (installed by the city) are unwalkable in many areas. I once looked at repairing/replacing part of my own sidewalk, and it can be very expensive as the contractor said that they needed to get a city permit with engineering drawing, a tree inspector to protect old growth tree, expand the width of the sidewalk (taking more property) from 3 to 4 foot due to new code, and that it would be priced higher since its length wasn't a full truckload so I would have to pay for the whole load.

What some cities do (Austin I believe) is the city will hire designated contractors to maintain the sidewalks and tag it onto your tax bill. This way a whole block can be done at once rather than a single house here and there. The one time tax charge can even be spread out over several years, or passed onto the next buyer.

One of the downsides to having large city limits and even larger unincorporated areas that are "governed" by MUDs. Sidewalks are very low on the priority list. If they're non-existent (even in areas that could really use them), then they are sticking up several inches or feet in the air because of a tree trunk. Or you can hardly see the sidewalk because it's covered in grass and already skinny. Or the best is when the sidewalk stops on one property but continues on the property right next to it, lol!

The sidewalk issue in the city is a mess. What was once a good idea visually with planting trees near sidewalks in some areas was in hindsight a very bad idea. Should have been planted away from the sidewalk.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by DabOnEm

One of the downsides to having large city limits and even larger unincorporated areas that are "governed" by MUDs. Sidewalks are very low on the priority list. If they're non-existent (even in areas that could really use them), then they are sticking up several inches or feet in the air because of a tree trunk. Or you can hardly see the sidewalk because it's covered in grass and already skinny. Or the best is when the sidewalk stops on one property but continues on the property right next to it, lol!

The sidewalk issue in the city is a mess. What was once a good idea visually with planting trees near sidewalks in some areas was in hindsight a very bad idea. Should have been planted away from the sidewalk.

MUDs are usually in the county / unincorporated area. In general, counties (to whom the streets have been dedicated once built, even if their construction was ultimately funded by the MUD) want little or nothing to do with sidewalks (especially code enforcement - counties have very limited ability to enforce building codes anyway). A past Harris County engineer, in fact, deliberately designed thoroughfares so that they couldn't have them.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

MUDs are usually in the county / unincorporated area. In general, counties (to whom the streets have been dedicated once built, even if their construction was ultimately funded by the MUD) want little or nothing to do with sidewalks (especially code enforcement - counties have very limited ability to enforce building codes anyway). A past Harris County engineer, in fact, deliberately designed thoroughfares so that they couldn't have them.

Yes that's exactly what I said in my first sentence of the post you quoted lol but I agree with the rest of your post.

I know of plenty of roads in the unincorporated area of Harris County that I grew up in that were built without sidewalks. Some had drainage ditches along each side which was also a deterrent to building new sidewalks. It's perfectly okay though because with the growth in population and density of these areas, people now walk with their bikes along an actual travel lane.

We also had brown sidewalks created by the dead grass that people walked over for years. Had a friend whose sister was catapulted in the air and her skull crushed because she was walking along an area of North Fry Road that had no sidewalks.