LA's New Crack Epidemic: Sidewalks

Ever walk down a Los Angeles city sidewalk? It may feel like climbing the Himalayas.

Tree roots have uplifted many city sidewalks across L.A., turning a quick walk around the neighborhood into a treacherous experience. According to The Los Angeles Times, the city receives about 2,500 claims a year from people who hurt themselves on these cracks.

"People get hurt and people can die from falling down on and hitting their head on the sidewalk," says Los Angeles resident Peter Griswold.

What's the city's solution to this problem? A three-year, $10 million survey of all of the city's sidewalks.

Residents like Griswold say that price tag is too high. He has come up with a plan of his own that involves photographs, GPS devices, and - most importantly - volunteers. Griswold is confident that his ragtag crew of sidewalk cartographers can find and report trouble spots more quickly - and cheaply - than city workers.

"What Peter Griswold is trying to do with volunteers, the advantage that has is that it's decentralized," says Adrian Moore, vice president of research at Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason TV.

Moore grants it may be hard to implement on a large scale but you have to stack that up against the usual way city governments fix local problems. Namely, writing a fat check to a contractor so they don't have to deal with it anymore. Hence, the $10 million.

Moore points out that these uplifted sidewalk cracks are indicative of something bigger: bureaucracy run amok.

"One of the problems bureaucracies have, and LA in particular has, is nobody who manages these departments actually invests the management effort in saying lets be ruthless about prioritizing what's most important," says Moore.

Written and produced by Paul Detrick.

Music by Lee Maddeford.

Approximately 4:23 minutes.

Go to http://www.reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.

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  News & Politics

[Orion Mustang]

The old man is real good guy.

[anonynomnomnom]

it's like LA city government is just interested in doling out contracts to political cronies who donate to their campaigns and don't in fact give two shits about the communities they allegedly represent.

i have a better solution, mr. griswald. take on the management challenge yourself. find some unemployed techie to put together a website to send the reports to. then start fundraising in the respective communities, contract it yourself, and post videos about how useless city government is.

[christopherwillson]

What a nice man, a sad idealist who would like to see some damn change, very inspiring.

[Nafetitive]

Los Angeles, in particular West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills sidewalks are not very wheelchair friendly. I wonder if anyone affiliated with the Americans With Disabilities Act has actually spent any amount of time in wheelchairs on L.A area sidewalks.

[RayZ fox]

Im my city the responsibility of the side walk is that of the property owner.

[starrychloe]

All the people who are bidding up the rent.

[Buttnut105]

You're right I did. Apologies. I guess there are just so many "accomplishments" it's hard to list them all off the top of my head.

[loszhor]

"Try new things?" "Management?" What's this crazy talk I'm hearing!?

[packratt76]

You forgot bailouts, the current "never let a good crisis go to waste" gun control push, drone wars (even double tap strikes!!), operation Fast and Furious (then lying and saying it was Bush's program!!).

[Trevor Reiten]

Piece of advice for you Californians - leave California.

[Buttnut105]

My head hurts thinking about everything he's screwed up. How about overspending, being a hypocrite about the wars, lying, killing an American, having a naive position on guns and drugs, trying to override the Constitution a few times (immigration and AFA come to mind), Benghazi situation, etc. This is what happens when we have a lawyer as a president; someone that will twist, lie, construe, and pander his path towards prosperity.

[packratt76]

Please go into "Obombya's accomplishments.  I'd like to see them.