We are lucky in Midtown to have a well-connected sidewalk system.

But many of Atlanta's sidewalks are old and in need of repair. 

The hexagon sidewalk tiles in residential areas including the Ansley Park and Midtown neighborhoods were installed when the communities were first constructed in the early 1900s. In several places, tiles have become jumbled due to the bursting roots of decades-old oak trees or years of mistreatment from construction crews.

It can be difficult to walk along the sidewalks, especially for disabled persons or families with small children.

How Are Sidewalks Fixed Now?

The city of Atlanta says abutting property owners are responsible for maintaining and repairing broken or damaged sidewalks.

"The City Code makes sidewalk maintenance the responsibility of adjacent property owners," says the pedestrian advocacy group PEDS. "Elected officials, however, lack the political will to enforce this policy.  The annual budget includes very limited funding for sidewalk maintenance or enforcement, which ties the hands of Public Works officials."

At a recent meeting in Midtown, Public Works Commissioner Richard Mendoza estimated the city has $150 million worth of deferred sidewalk maintenance.

"I've got a backlog of permitted work," Mendoza told board members of the Midtown Neighbors' Association on Aug. 25.

"When you add in curbs and ADA ramps in addition to sidewalks, it’s a $204 million backlog," Liz Coyle, director of community education for PEDS, said in an email.

Why is the System Not Working?

It costs more money to replace sections of sidewalk on a property-to-property basis.

PEDS says: "Repairing these sidewalks in a piecemeal way is far more expensive than fixing them on a block by block or neighborhood basis. Trying to get property owners to repair sidewalks also adds significant administrative costs, since property owners rarely make repairs on a voluntary basis."

Plus, the historic hexagon pavers so prevalent around Midtown currently are not what the city installs when replacing portions of sidewalk. 

The hexagon pavers "are harder and more expensive to maintain," Liz Coyle, director of community education for PEDS, said in an email. "Sometime in the 70s, the city stopped replacing the hexagon pavers and uses stamped concrete when doing a repair.

"Neighborhood residents have mixed feelings about the hexagons and some have smooth concrete. You’re left with a mixed bag from a visual and walkability standpoint."

What Can You Do?

Show your support of and learn more about funding options for sidewalk maintenance.

A panel discussion is set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library (4th-floor auditorium). The event runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Midtown resident and journalist Maria Sapporta will moderate the panel that includes Commissioner Mendoza, Assistant Director for Transportation Planning Joshuah Mello, and PEDS CEO Sally Flocks.

Know of a Hazardous Sidewalk?

PEDS has an online system to report pedestrian hazards.