A North Avenue-area resident’s patience is wearing thin.
The alert reader sent this photo
along with a note that this debris — leaves, brush, whatnot — has sat opposite Bedford Middle School since Hurricane Irene in August.
Drivers veer around it, into the other lane. Joggers, walkers, nannies with strollers step out into the road to avoid it.
Our alert reader would move it himself, but he says there’s too much, it’s too heavy and he’s too old.
On the other hand, he says: Riverside Avenue is much worse.
Any biker will tell you that the bike lanes are full of Irene leftovers and as such, are dangerous.
Gosh, there are flashing yellow lights and busy shovels right outside my North Avenue home this morning…. piles of debris, long clogging the storm drains are being quickly cleared!
Well, I guess it’s all relative. Joggers, walkers and nannies with their strollers are inconvenienced? More’s the pity! Maybe they can go to Irene-devastated Vermont where still there are many places where the roads aren’t even there anymore…and forget about sidewalks. — Karl Decker
It may be relative, Professor Decker, but it remains dangerous. Staples walkers have to scurry into traffic to avoid that mess. The picture was taken to display the neglect and malfeasance of the town/residents. No one is comparing it to Vermont but then again, the folks from the Cresent City aren’t comparing their continuing debacle to you either.
Oh please. If you can’t count on the town to clean up in front of your own or your neighbor’s property as fast as you would like, do it yourself, or better yet, do it together with several neighbors and/or friends. After the freak storm in March 2010, a big stretch of Kings Highway North’s sidewalk was blocked with debris that sat there for weeks. I don’t live on KHN, but occasionally walk my dog there. After noticing that the debris wasn’t being taken care of, early one morning I took matters into my own hands (with the help of my RYOBI cordless tools) by cutting up the limbs and branches, raking up the leaves and putting them in recyclable paper bags. I then loaded all the recyclable material into my SUV and made two trips to the recycling center on Bayberry Lane…all before my real job. (BTW, the baby-boomer (like myself) homeowner that watched me clean up the sidewalk in front of his property for over an hour and half offered me a bottle of luke warm water AFTER I was finished. Priceless.)
Well aren’t you special, Audreyh. While I value self-help myself and did complete such similar tasks as you describe following the storm, there comes a point where the town or a mass group effort is needed to clean up the damn mess. Bike paths throughout Westport are full of debris and try walking your dog down Riverside, south of the Sunoco station. It is cluttered with overgrowth and fallen trees. A plea was made on this blog for a “Clean Up Westport” day but went on deaf ears.
Dude, Mom always said I was “Special.” I guess a “mass group” effort doesn’t exist in this town unless it’s to build a playground at the beach. Oh wait, the last time the town couldn’t find enough parents (whose children benefit ) to help with annual maintenance of the Compo Playground, so forget that. I haven’t walked Riverside south of the Sunoco station, but will check it out. If indeed, it’s still cluttered, and since we both value “self-help,” would you like to join me in a “Clean Up Riverside” effort? I’m sure I could get some volunteers to join us. p.s. We may need a bigger chain saw than what I have.
At your daring, I borrowed my neighbor’s pickup truck and removed the debris this morning from 156 North Avenue. Some one had thrown five trees over their stone wall on to the sidewalk. When I went to the compost dump, the employee told me that I would have to pay $30.00 and get a permit since the crap extended above the bed level. “I said WTF!!!” And not to be undone, I minimized the loads and did four instead of two!!! Good deed done, never unpunished. Thanks for the prompting!! Once I get the NYC marathon done (November 6th), I am up for any clean up project any where in town. And I got a big chain saw!! Professor Woog knows where to find me.
I don’t think I dared you…afterall, you’ve already done good deeds 🙂 Also, it’s always good to know someone with a big chain saw! Awesome! Good Luck, Dude, in the NY Marathon! Impressive!!