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Push is on to clear sidewalks

One man wants drivers to be aware of where they're parking and of the safety hazards their actions might create.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published July 21, 2006

NORTHDALE - Stand outside Bill Pape's home and it doesn't take too long to see one of his pet peeves: Invariably, a mom with a stroller or a person in a wheelchair veers off the sidewalk into the street.

They're veering around one of the many cars, trucks and vans that protrude from private driveways into the walkway.

"What if a car is coming around the corner?" Pape says. "Granted, we've got speed humps. But they drive 70 mph between the speed humps."

Pape has demanded action from the Sheriff's Office. A county ordinance states that sidewalks are solely for pedestrians and no one shall "stop, stand or park a vehicle" on a sidewalk. It's a noncriminal violation with a $30 fine attached.

But enforcement doesn't come so easily.

"We're overwhelmed with so many other things," says Deputy Jeff Massaro, the area's community resource officer. "This is at the bottom."

The Northdale Civic Association has received complaints about the problem, too. But like the Sheriff's Office, it has opted to put its limited resources into more pressing deed restriction matters.

No one dismisses the issue out of hand. For people with disabilities and parents with small children, the blocked sidewalk becomes an impediment rather than a simple nuisance, notes Bill Castens, who serves on the civic association and the Northdale Special Tax District board.

It's just that most people don't even notice. And, in many cases, violators have mitigating circumstances - short driveways, too many cars and filled garages top among them.

"I understand all the reasons why," Massaro says. "But it ends up causing a bigger inconvenience for the community."

The nearby Country Place neighborhood faced a similar dilemma about a year ago, and with Massaro came up with a solution that he hopes to bring to the streets of Northdale. It amounted to simple peer pressure.

The homeowners association and Sheriff's Office put together an information flier explaining the county sidewalk ordinance and community deed restrictions, along with possible alternatives such as parking on the public street. Volunteers placed the flier on cars that blocked the sidewalk, and the association tracked each one to check for repeat violators.

If any vehicle received three fliers, the Sheriff's Office would receive a report and consider writing a ticket.

"We put ownership of the issue back on the community," Massaro says, adding that he never ended up issuing any citations. "It seems to have worked."

The Northdale Special Tax District board has agreed in principle to sponsor an information campaign for its community.

Massaro suggested that such a partnership would be more effective than a mass ticketing drive by the Sheriff's Office, especially because some people have questioned whether a car in a driveway is on the sidewalk at all, rather than on private property.

The ordinance might need some clarification, he says.

Rich Reidy, a legislative assistant for County Commissioner Ken Hagan, says Pape complained to his office about cars blocking the sidewalk. But concerns about the rule haven't come his way.

"If they're having some difficulty with the ordinance, let us know," Reidy said, noting that the commission tries to work with the Sheriff's Office to make the rules enforceable.

Pape says he just wants someone from the county to make the sidewalks passable for people who want and need to use them. He already has volunteered to hand out the information fliers to violators.

"They spent a lot of money on new sidewalks," Pape says. "If they're going to spend that much on the sidewalks, shouldn't you be able to use them?"

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at (813) 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 20, 2006, 13:36:17]