Kicking it to the Curb

There are two seasons in Chicago... winter and construction. Construction downtown is so “efficient” right now that I can’t wait until it’s over.

That’s because the city keeps redoing curb cuts. This is a good thing, but the approach is flawed.

I came out of a building last week to discover that I was literally stranded. The curb cuts had been ripped out on three corners of the block while I’d been inside, and the ones on the fourth corner flanked a street that was being resurfaced, so there was a foot-long drop between the curb and the street.

I had no choice but to catch a cab. Good thing I had money. Wheeling to Walgreens to get cash was impossible even though it was roughly twenty feet away.

The new curb cuts will be great when they’re done, and I do appreciate that. Especially since winter is coming. But it’s obvious somebody didn’t think through the impact of ripping out several curb cuts at the same time.

This project has been going on for about a month, and it’s making wheeling down the street an adventure. The curb cuts are being redone within a day or two, so it’s not worth calling an alderman. But just when I get a good route mapped out, another curb cut is torn up, and I have to start all over. I’ve had to wheel at least three blocks out of my way everyday for the past 10 days because the landscape changes so often. It’s an urban jungle out there.