Capitol Hill resident Roberta Shapiro was out for a walk with a neighbor when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her stumble. “I reached out my hand, but I was too late,” Shapiro, who is also Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) for 6A03 recalls. Her friend fell, face-first into the sidewalk. “My first thought was that she was dead,” she said.
Shapiro’s story is one that many residents know all too well. Loose bricks, tree roots, large cracks, missing signage and other hazards can make walking to school, taking an evening stroll and rollerskating in the park an unexpectedly dangerous experience for anyone.
The Sidewalk Palooza event returns this spring, from March 21 to 29, in hopes of bringing these hazards to the attention of city agencies, but also to community members.
What’s a Palooza?
For several years, neighbors have organized to shed light on local sidewalk disrepair by submitting 311 requests to the Department of Transportation (DDOT) together. The requests highlight unsafe areas that could impact “anyone who walks or rolls across the city,” citywide coordinator Erin Palmer said.
The name, according to Palmer, was inspired by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “Pothole Palooza” and “Alley Palooza” events. “Sidewalks need love too,” Palmer said. “If we can do a Palooza for potholes, why are we not doing them for cracks in sidewalks?”
Across the District’s eight wards, residents aim to bring awareness and urgency to concerns that organizers say take DDOT far too long to address. According to Palmer, DDOT’s timeline for addressing street repairs is about three days. Sidewalk repairs, she said, can take a staggering 270 days or longer.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) echoed Palmer’s concerns. “It’s a lack of creativity, and it’s a lack of will to recognize this should be treated just as urgently as a roadway repair,” he said. He described the event as a “giant magnifying glass” to identify and alert DDOT to these hazards.
An Event for All
As a long-time supporter of the project, Allen emphasized that fixing sidewalks is advantageous to all. “It doesn’t matter how you get around,” Allen said. “If you drive, take the bus, take Metro, bike or walk, every single one of us is a pedestrian at some point, and our sidewalks have to be accessible, safe and reliable.”
The influx of requests from neighbors participating in the event helps to make the scope of the problem more obvious to the city, Shapiro noted. “It’s important to validate how big this problem is, but I think it’s truly impossible to identify every unsafe spot because the material is intrinsically unsafe,” she said, referring to brick sidewalks.
While 311 requests serve as a measurable marker of success for the event, Palmer also wants to share knowledge about sidewalk safety and repair with residents. Oftentimes, neighbors are unaware that they can submit requests for tripping hazards or other non-road repairs. She hopes that the “educational component” will help create lasting change beyond the days of the event itself.
How to Get Involved
Sign ups are live for events across the District beginning Saturday, March 21. The event will run through Sunday, March 29, but organizers and community leaders hope that the event will create momentum for lasting change and impact all year round.
Allen said he is encouraged by the event’s past and hopes this year’s event will draw enthusiastic neighbors to help make neighborhood sidewalks safer for all. “I love the energy that we’ve seen from ANC commissioners, Capitol Hill Village and so many others that really want to work hard to ensure we have good, safe sidewalks,” he said.
Visit sidewalkpalooza.org to learn more and sign up to host or attend an event next week.
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com.
