The Barnes Firm

Fix the Sidewalks!

• August 19, 2016
• Sandy

LOS ANGELES – The jagged and dangerous sidewalk you’ve been navigating could be getting fixed soon, although it could take years to complete the repairs. The Los Angeles City Council announced it finally has a plan to fix the city’s disastrous sidewalks after years of neglect.

The new plan leaves the city in charge of repairing the sidewalks one time – but after they’re repaired, the upkeep shifts to property owners. A Los Angeles slip and fall attorney at The Barnes Firm says a plan to fix the sidewalks has been in the works for over a year. In that time, the backlog of repairs has grown.

“Nearly 5,000 miles of sidewalks need some degree of repair in Los Angeles,” slip and fall attorney John Sheehan said. “To put this in perspective, the city only fixed 67 miles of those sidewalks over an eight-year period.”

At that rate, it would take the city nearly seven decades to fix just the existing damaged sidewalks – that doesn’t include any newly damaged concrete.

Last April, the city agreed to spend up to $63 million every year over the next 30 years to repair miles and miles of damaged sidewalks. According to the LA Times, 40-percent of the city’s sidewalks needed to be fixed.

The city’s newest plan would also repeal a law that city officials say is responsible for much of the damage. A rule dating back to the 1970s made the city responsible for fixing its sidewalks because it had access to federal funds. Now that the federal funding is gone, the city is left with the pricey repairs (and the potholed sidewalks).

“These sidewalks are hazardous to the very people they are supposed to help,” Sheehan said. “Sidewalks are often impassable for those who use wheelchairs and many Los Angelinos have tripped on the jagged pathways, causing serious injuries.”

According to slip and fall lawyer, Los Angeles can sometimes be held liable for those injuries if the sidewalks were not repaired in a timely manner. Recently, the city has faced several lawsuits – from civil rights violations to personal injury – due to the spoiled sidewalks.

The newest plan that would slowly shift the burden to property owners has received support from two City Council committees and will be presented to the full council soon. If the council approves it, the repairs could begin in July.

The Barnes Firm 1-(800) 800-0000