The sign that had cut my face had been on the Persumscot commons side of Main
Street adjacent to the telephone pole near the crosswalk.
This happened years ago. At the time I grabbed the sign and twisted it more
than 360 degrees. The sign just snapped right back into place.
I don’t even know if it is still there because I hug the road in this area
as much as the telephone pole allows. It’s hard to forget being cut
unexpectedly.
At the time my Wife had said signs were appearing on shorter posts in other
places. I don’t recall where.
I’ve pointed out the guidewire on the Main Street corner of Stroudwater and
cables across WCD on Stroudwater Street. I’ve been injured in both of these
spots.
I’m reluctant to get into pointing these things out because I’ve pointed
them out more than once before.
Also, I don’t know if they even exist now because I stopped traveling in
Westbrook on foot unless it is absolutely necessary.
I’m apologizing ahead of time but, I’d rather hear, we just don’t care
because there are so few blind people than being ignored or being fed
statements meant to simply defuse the complaints.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf ;
Of Discover Downtown Westbrook
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2019 10:48 AM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Dining on sidewalks.
Hi Carson (and all),
Wanted to address a few items, as I'm able (and I'm also chatting with a few
folks at City Hall about this):
Outdoor dining furniture, it is permitted but must be contained to allow
passage. There is a minimum right-of-way required and the current outdoor
dining meets that requirement. That said, we are looking into the possibility
of having cane-friendly barriers, rather than a simple rope, so it is more
obvious that the dining area is there. Restaurants do pay for whatever space
they use.
Flags: I know of one in particular I've thought was an issue, and mentioned
that in my email to City Hall staff. I'm not sure if there are others, that is
the only one I can think of.
Sandwich boards: our city planner has mentioned this issue in the past, so I
checked in to see where we are on that.
Signs and guidewires: if there's any way to know where these spots are, even
approximate, that would be helpful. Our planning department is very strict
about height requirements for signs.
As much as we can know the issues, we work as quickly as we can to solve them.
Best,
Abigail
On 6/17/2019 7:46 AM, Clarrage, Katherine C. wrote:
Just a reminder it’s proactive to bring up these points to businesses/the city
in a proactive/informative way and help to be part of the solution not just
complain about the problems. There are plenty of cities (Portland included)
that do the outdoor restaurant areas)…for people who are blind/visually
impaired, it’s not impossible, but rather if better/solid “barriers” can be
created (can be done aesthetically and functionally), then it’s a win for all.
Just saying…little “sugar”, awareness, and help from all parties goes a lot
further. Kathy
Kathy Clarrage, COMS
State of Maine, Division for the Blind & Visually Impaired
151 Jetport Blvd
Portland, ME 04102
207-423-5448
Katherine.c.clarrage@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:Katherine.c.clarrage@xxxxxxxxx>
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Brooking
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2019 7:23 AM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Dining on sidewalks.
EXTERNAL: This email originated from outside of the State of Maine Mail System.
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All excellent points, Carson.
Our website (http://WestbrookSafeMobility.org ;
<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2FWestbrookSafeMobility.org&data=02%7C01%7Ckatherine.c.clarrage%40maine.gov%7C970b8a4ed0aa4e3a2b5808d6f31620b8%7C413fa8ab207d4b629bcdea1a8f2f864e%7C0%7C1%7C636963673698572419&sdata=ZgK1ms4F%2BT3oNjAn66zB4tYaamv5vYJGFzmAK9%2FZCks%3D&reserved=0>
) contains a link to the city ordinance on the Resources page, and I see that
the ordinance addresses outdoor dining in section 20-50. Part C mentions that
at least 4 feet of sidewalk space adjacent to the curb (or other fixed objects)
must be left open for pedestrian traffic, and 5 feet near corners.
I haven’t researched this point extensively, but I think it’s true, in the
defense of the restaurants, that sidewalk space in general is public space
provided for general public use, including but not limited to pedestrian
travel. Obviously a narrow sidewalk is only for travel, but often wide
sidewalks and plazas are constructed in order to provide for more uses than
just walking. Philosophically, is outdoor restaurant dining a private use by
the restaurant, or a public use by its customers? As a customer, I do enjoy
outdoor dining, and try to take advantage of it whenever it’s offered, since
our season for it is so short.
So I would hope that it can be done with sufficient attention to the needs of
blind pedestrians, and I guess you can always contact the code enforcement
department when you encounter a problem, or your city councilor if you feel the
existing ordinance is lacking. Do you think it’s more of an ordinance problem
or an enforcement problem?
On Mon, Jun 17, 2019 at 6:08 AM Carson Wood <cwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:cwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
If sidewalks are infrastructure then why is it lawful for restaurants to
clog them up with ropes, tables, and chairs?
An elderly blind neighbor can no longer use the boardwalk because it is
clogged up with a bunch of outdoor dining furniture.
As far as that goes, neither can I.
Are these restaurants paying anything to take away my freedom?
I’ve tied knots in open flags that have been hung which hit my face.
I’ve thrown or kicked aside sandwich boards that have been blocking
sidewalks.
I’ve had my face cut by signs that suddenly appeared on posts much shorter
than in the past. I’ve hit guidewires that slant into sidewalks.
My Wife tells me of all the wild west traffic that runs lights.
This is not pedestrian infrastructure friendly to me.
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