America Does Not Have the Monopoly on Bureaucratic Red Tape

[wmenorr67]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/07/20/canadian-man-builds-park-stairs-for-550-even-though-city-said-project-would-cost-65g.html

Basically old man see people fall down a hill, city says it will cost $65K to build stairs, so man buys his own supplies, hires a couple of homeless to help and does the job for $550.

Now city wants to tear down and replace with stairs they build.

[dogmush]

He's lucky they aren't fining him

[230RN]

Apparently the stairs have been blocked off by tape and they will stay that way until a resolution is found.  According to the article,  Astl is not facing criminal charges.

Also according to the article, the mayor said, "I think we all need to have a bit of common sense here."

Yes.  Yes, we do.

Reminds me of the principle of not planning out sidewalks until you see where people are actually wearing down the grass.

[Hawkmoon]

“I think,” Tory said, “we all need to have a bit of common sense here.”

"Starting next week month year."

I find it interesting (and instructive) that the city managed to find the respources to block off the new stair, but they didn't bother to block off the unsafe path that people were falling on.

[Brad Johnson]

After putting a Mk 1 Calibrated Eyeball on the stairs, I'd be blocking them off, too. They're too narrow, lack side-load support, have questionable hand rail usability and generally look like they were made to be pretty rather than functional. In short, it looks like someone threw $550 worth of lumber at a problem so they could call it good without really having any idea of what they were actually doing.

Brad

[230RN]

Sarcasm, right?

They're wider than the rocks they were using as stepping-stones.  And the "steps" someone had carved out of the dirt.

Yep.  Call it good better.

I do see liability on his part if someone falls anyway, though.

Handicapped ramp might be better overall, but I'm not familiar with the situation as a whole.  I get the impression this is only a shortcut, and there are more appropriate pathways elsewhere.

"Reminds me of the principle of not planning out sidewalks until you see where people are actually wearing down the grass."

Terry

[Brad Johnson]

Sarcasm, right?


Terry

None whatsoever.

I deal with guest safety issues all day, every day, and the pictured stairs are an accident waiting to happen. From a usability standpoint they are adequate, but only barely. From an engineering standpoint there are several glaring structural support issues. From a safety standpoint they are, at best, highly questionable. Aesthetically they are meh. Then we get to the landing areas below the stairs which, given the large rock used and the proud edge of the retaining border, is downright scary from both an abrasion and trip hazard standpoint.

He would have done much better to buy a $20 shovel and simply re-position the step stones. At least then when people fall they will be headed towards mostly sloping dirt rather than a pile of jutting, hard-edged timber built over a pile of nice sharp rocks.

Brad

[Perd Hapley]

Now city wants to tear down and replace with stairs they build.

Then he wins. It took him $550, and some elbow grease, but if the city ends up building stairs, then he gets what he wants.

I find it interesting (and instructive) that the city managed to find the respources to block off the new stair, but they didn't bother to block off the unsafe path that people were falling on.

Judging by the photos, the path was already blocked off. It looks to me as if one had to step over a low railing to get onto the path. Maybe the city didn't do anything about it, because they wanted people to go around some other way, and not just go right down the hill.

[230RN]

That's what I figured.  It was a shortcut.

[KD5NRH]

Apparently the stairs have been blocked off by tape and they will stay that way until a resolution is found.

Doesn't that open the city up to more liability if someone uses the (already shown to be dangerous) path while the stairs are blocked off?

[RevDisk]

City heroically cut down the stairs and replaced them for $10k

[230RN]

Did they have a ribbon-cutting ceremony?  

Great opportunity for all the local pols to put in an appearance and brag about the roles they played in "progress" and "safety of our citizens" and "vote for me."

Mr. Asti:  "Mission accomplished."  And with no riots or demonstrations or communisty organizers brought in from out of state and like that there kind of stuff.

I'll buy you a beer next time I'm out thataway.

Terry

[MechAg94]

For safety alone, he could have just put in the hand rail so people had something to hold onto when they went down the path.