City of Atlanta
Sidewalk Maintenance
Best Practices and
Policy and Funding Reform
Subcommittee
Recommendations
Sidewalk Task Force
February 14, 2013
Sidewalk Maintenance:
Best Practices and National Trends
 Create a comprehensive inventory of sidewalk conditions and
use a points-based system to prioritize repairs
 Use a two-pronged approach of repair and replacement. When
money is tight, use tax dollars to implement low cost repairs that
quickly address tripping hazards.
 Many programs have moved from assessments on property
owners to general financing by the community. Cost-sharing at
25 – 50% or long-term, low-interest loans are common features
of effective programs that rely on assessing property owners.
Sidewalk maintenance policies have become
increasingly attuned to changing demographics
and needs of people with disabilities.
In 2030, 1 out of 5
people will be over 60.
Photo by Dan Burden
pedbikeimages.org
Public sidewalks are a program of
the City that must be accessible to
all users.
Barden v. Sacramento, 2003.
Photo by Dan Burden
pedbikeimages.org
How do cities pay for
sidewalk repair?
50
40
30
20
10
0
Property owner
pays full cost
City shares cost City pays full cost
with property
owner
Survey of 82 cities in 45 states
Donald Shoup, “Fixing Broken Sidewalks” Access, Spring 2010
Recognize barriers to enforcing
existing sidewalk policy
Lack of community support
Atlanta has prioritized sidewalk
maintenance so low for decades,
it will be difficult to begin again.
Lack of community support
This is especially true if the City
relies on assessments from
abutting property owners.
Recognize barriers to enforcing
existing sidewalk policy
High
poverty rate
Atlanta
has a
22.4 %
poverty
rate.
A program relying on property liens as a
major funding source is not sustainable.
Liens often take
years to pay off.
Atlanta’s
pedestrians
deserve more
than a
“pretend”
program
Liens can have a severe
impact on credit scores.
Recognize barriers to using existing sidewalk
ordinance to fund sidewalk maintenance
Sidewalks are
public assets
that provide
more benefits
to the
community
than to
abutting
property
owners.
Recognize barriers to using existing sidewalk
ordinance to fund sidewalk maintenance
Selective
enforcement is
inherently
unjust
“Anne Fauver has been able to secure replacement
sidewalks for three streets in Midtown. This is not the start of
a program. It is a one-time thing because Anne found a small
pot of money. No other neighborhood
will have this benefit.”
.
Recognize barriers to using existing sidewalk
ordinance to fund sidewalk maintenance
Sidewalks and
curbs are often
damaged by
illegal parking,
car wrecks, and
other problems
beyond the
control of
property owners.
Recognize barriers to using existing sidewalk
ordinance to fund sidewalk maintenance
On many
streets,
sidewalks exist
on just one side
of the street
. Why should people on the other side get a free ride
with regard to sidewalk maintenance?
Recognize and overcome
barriers to repairing sidewalks
Lack of sidewalk
inventories, master
Lack of community support
plans and weighted
formulas needed to
prioritize repairs
Recognize and overcome
barriers to repairing sidewalks
Limited funding & staff
Lack of community support
The annual budget for
sidewalk repairs enables
Public Works to address less
than 1 % of the estimated
$152 million backlog of
broken sidewalks and curbs.
Recommended Reforms
Use a proactive inspection program to
inventory sidewalk conditions
Score points for pedestrian generators and
deficiencies when prioritizing projects
Use a two-pronged approach of repair and replacement.
Repairing sidewalks in a timely manner
is much cheaper than replacing them.
Most sidewalk tripping hazard
thresholds range from ½ to 1 inch
Design sidewalks with an eye to maintenance.
 Plain concrete sidewalks are cheaper
to repair and less prone to damage
than pavers or bricks.
 Stamped hexagon sidewalks cost
more and are difficult to walk or use
wheelchairs on. Make plain concrete
the default choice.
 Tax dollars should cover only the cost
of sidewalks built with plain concrete.
Additional costs for stamped hexagons
or bricks should be paid by abutting
property owners or associations.
Analyze and make transparent
the benefit / cost ratio of the City’s cement plant
 Does ownership of a
cement plant encourage
the City to replace
sidewalks that could
instead be repaired at a
much lower cost?
 Would privatization of
sidewalk inspection and
repairs reduce
maintenance costs?
Follow consistent financing procedures .
“What is so frustrating
is that there are so
many blocks around
Delaware where the
city repaired the
sidewalk at no cost to
the residents. It is
selective billing and
that is simply unfair.”
Edjuardo Julio
Establish a desired timeline for addressing the
broken sidewalk , curb or curb ramp backlog and
determine how much funding is needed to meet it.
Estimated sidewalk and curb backlog: $152
million
The City’s sidewalk network of hexagonal
concrete and brick pavers are beyond the
expected life of 50 years.
From 2008 – 2010, the City reconstructed less
than 4 percent of the estimated sidewalk
backlog and less than 8 percent of the curb
backlog.
As maintenance is deferred,
the cost multiplies by a factor of four to seven.
Provide dedicated funding for sidewalk maintenance
Allow and provide diverse funding types:
.
1. Provide referendum enabling
voters to authorize bond funding to
pay for addressing the backlog of
broken sidewalks and curbs.
2. Following expenditure of bond
funds, include $15 million / year
allocation for sidewalk
maintenance in Atlanta’s annual
budget.
3. Allow property owners who choose
to pay for sidewalk repairs to do so.