BOS:311

Water from water fountain tastes very off

This is my 5th complaint about the damaged brick pavement in front of 8 Winter Street in Downtown Crossing. It is a disgrace that this has still not been repaired months after it was first reported. I have attached a photo of a wheelchair user whose wheel became stuck in the damaged bricks. She struggled to get herself free and nearly tipped over. Accessibility and safety are not a lot to ask for, yet this hazard has been treated like an afterthought. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 84 requires public ways to be maintained so they are reasonably safe for travelers. The law also specifically addresses injuries caused by defects or a lack of repair where the responsible municipality had reasonable notice of the condition and could have remedied it through reasonable care. The City has now been put on notice of this exact hazard FOUR separate times. Boston’s own Sidewalk Repair Program states that once a 311 case is created, Public Works is dispatched to assess the condition and take appropriate steps to make the area safe, and that minor damage on City property is the City’s responsibility to repair. Yet months and four separate complaints later, this hazard remains. What are our tax dollars going toward if the City cannot manage a basic repair after FOUR separate complaints? Does someone have to be seriously injured before this is finally addressed? Does it need to make the news and embarrass the City before a basic repair is made? There is no excuse for allowing a known and repeatedly documented safety hazard to remain in this condition for months. At this point, the continued failure to address it reflects significant incompetence and negligence.