The District government has long had multiple events to address problem infrastructure, with cute names like Pothole Palooza and Alley Palooza.

But a group of ANC Commissioners and other residents say sidewalks and crosswalks need just as much attention as roads, and are often neglected. So, they banded together to create their own event: Sidewalk Palooza.

Groups of people went out over the weekend to document problems and submit them to 311 for fixes: sidewalks that end in the middle of nowhere, inches-tall tripping hazards in mis-aligned sidewalk squares, hydrants and signs blocking pathways so someone in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller can’t pass through, and crumbling concrete.

Kingman Park residents Meredith Holmgren and Anders Pedersen set out on a hot Saturday afternoon to mark problem spots in their neighborhood.

“Not everyone drives, not everyone bikes, not everyone uses transit, but almost everyone walks,” Holmgren said. “We should have infrastructure that is safe and accessible for everyone.”

In 45 minutes they submitted almost a dozen problems.

Several glaring issues caught their eye near RFK Stadium where new playgrounds and fields have been built in recent years.  At Oklahoma Street NE, as a mother and young son on a scooter tried to cross the busy street with fast-moving traffic, they noticed there was no crosswalk, and at the other end there were stairs and a sidewalk, but no ADA ramp. The young boy scooted up a dirt path next to the stairs, but Pedersen noted someone in a wheelchair wouldn’t be able to do the same.

https://twitter.com/dcspokes/status/1401221905995206659

The District Department of Transportation’s policy says it aims to fix potholes in three days. But a sidewalk?  A whopping 270 business days. DDOT is re-paving 55 miles of sidewalks this year, but 165 miles of roads.

It’s these sort of discrepancies that anger pedestrian advocates.

Out of frustration, street safety advocate Nick Sementelli and ANC commissioner Erin Palmer helped put together the events.

“It’s meant to counter-message Pothole-palooza and show how pedestrian infrastructure is often de-prioritized,” Palmer said.

She’s had to wait months and even years to get problems addressed.

https://twitter.com/Erinfor4B02/status/1277722442958540802

https://twitter.com/NSementelli/status/1401213939740987396

“More personnel, equipment, and funding should be added to bring the response times for pedestrian safety and accessibility items down to the same single-digit business day standard (as roads),” Sementelli wrote for Greater Greater Washington.

More Sidewalk-paloozas are going on throughout the month. Many of them will include music, children’s events and trash pickups. You can find them on the map here.