The Earth Moved

“What these streets need are new streets.”

That's what my wife said as we were driving along in our community. The street was bumpy. In part that was the result of some work by Con Ed, who had put in some new gas lines recently (allegedly repairing the roadbed when they finished – however they left the streets far worse than they found them), but there were also numerous contributions of the weather, age, and previous repairs of various types. So after all the years, the street was a mosaic of different materials and levels, with potholes, cracks, and broken asphalt and concrete.

No, that's being too generous. “Mosaic” suggests beauty, and the road is anything but beautiful. It's literally a patchwork, disturbing to the eye, to the rest of the body, and to the vehicle. They didn't patch it very well. In addition to wreaking havoc with the automobiles, it also punishes pedestrians, who often choose the street as a pathway to some place or other. It's especially hazardous at night when, because the holes sometimes go unobserved under non-functioning street lights, tripping and falling are especially common.

But sometimes people use the streets because the sidewalks are similarly dangerous. Since they're maintained by the various landowners, they aren't all of the same material. And many of them are broken. Some portions are at different heights from the adjacent sections – either because of tree roots or aging – and they're very narrow in spots. In autumn, when they're covered with leaves, you can't even see them. And when, after a storm, they're covered with broken tree limbs as well, they're all but impassable.

So I was relieved when I saw construction vehicles and repair trucks appear, though I didn't know where they'd start with all the work that needed to be done. It didn't take long to find out. Their work was at the corners, where they were constructing ramps from the impossible streets to the impassable sidewalks. Some of the ramps weren't even down to the level of the streets, ending an inch or two too high. Some terminated in broken areas in the street. They had been built, presumably, to ease the transit of wheelchairs to and from the sidewalks, but the poor construction, and the fact that they were only on some of the corners, made them ill-suited to the task. Because there were sewer grates at some of the corners and obstructions at others, the construction seems to have been done only where it was convenient.

But that was okay. I've lived in my neighborhood for nearly fifty years and I can't recall ever seeing a wheelchair – motorized or manual – on the streets. I suppose there are some and I've missed them, but there certainly aren't many. I'm reasonably observant, having earned my living as a radiologist, and I've spent my life seeing large things and noticing small ones. There was, however, an alternative explanation which should have been obvious to me. Those who cannot get around without a wheelchair were simply staying home because of the lack of ramps. They would come out when the work was done.

Unfortunately they didn't. I looked for them but my search was futile. Actually that didn't surprise me all that much. I sometimes deliver meals to the home-bound, and I've never seen a wheelchair in any of their homes. I don't think they hid them when I came, however I can't be sure. I guess it's just as well, though, since it would be a rough ride for them.

However that leaves open the question as to why the ramps were built now. And the question of why there was no repair of the streets and sidewalks. For those befuddling mysteries the only conclusions I can come up with are that there was money available for this specific project, and the deadline was coming up soon. Or another possible explanation is that the Federal (Feral?) Government mandated them everywhere – whether they were needed or not; they were required whether it was a wise use of taxpayer money or an offering to the gods of political correctness. The differently abled (see, I know the drill) among us are entitled to help, no matter what it costs us. (The politicians certainly won't pay for it, though. We will.) It might be cheaper in some locations to purchase chairs that can climb a step (and if they don't exist commercially I suspect they can be constructed for far less than the cost of the ramps), but that probably is not an approved use of whatever grant is paying for the work. (I hope the next grant of tax money isn't for “wheel” as well as “walk,” buttons to stop the traffic at all corners. Of course the buttons would have to be built low enough for the wheelchair bound to reach, and also made child-proof.)

Nonetheless, we can all be relieved that our leaders are taking responsibility for those who require help. And I'm glad my car isn't disabled yet, so I don't need smooth streets.

Yet.

Next episode: “Remembrance Of Things Past” – Or the forgetfulness.