Parking & Infrastructure Damage 8200 Block of Apricot

This problem exists



BECAUSE this truck (photo taken in 2013) has been parking on the greenspace
AND the storm drain since the drainage repairs were completed.


While we wait for repairs a new truck now parks in the 2700 block Dante at the corner of Apricot.
Eventually this bit of infrastructure will end up needing repairs as well.



NOTHING will CHANGE without PARKING ENFORCEMENT.

New Orleans and Drainage

It's a SYSTEM. It doesn't work when too many parts are broken.

And lots of parts are broken, above and beyond the pumps and the turbines.

Catch Basins not kept clean by the people who live on the street.
Catch Basins not mucked out by the city.
The city paving such that very little space is left for water to get into the Catch Basins.

People consistently breaking the laws like:
Littering which blocks up the Catch Basins,
Blowing leaf litter and grass cuttings into the storm drains,
Parking on the greenspace between the sidewalk and the street which grinds off the grass and lets dirt flow into the Catch Basins and reduces the ability of the compacted ground to absorb, and, if parked on, can damage the catch basins,
Paving front yards,
Over paving period.

And things not done that do help absorb water like:
Planting trees,
Holding water on your property whether it's taking advantage of deep Arts and Crafts eaves to live without gutters so the water doesn't run straight to the street or rain barrels and rain gardens,
Using new technology to create more permeable surfaces.

When we forget it's a SYSTEM and we allow incompetence and malfeasance we get what we got.

Healthy Catch Basin - no city installed curb

This is an example of a healthy catch basin.

Kudos to my neighbors who
Cleaned out the catch basin,
Cleaned off the street in front of the catch basin including edging the grassy area and then added bricks to keep the edges clean and the water FLOWING.

This street does not have a CURB installed by the city.

Parking between the sidewalk and the street

"... Sect 146-531 defines the sidewalk as “the portion of the street between the curblines or the lateral lines of a roadway and the adjacent property lines intended for use by pedestrians”.  A curbline is the edge where a raised curb meets a street or other roadway.  From an engineering perspective, the actual raised curbs are not intended for or designed to support vehicles parking on them.  Based on the how “sidewalk” is defined in the City code, the design/intent of a curb from an engineering perspective (and to prevent damage to our curbs) and our established practice for enforcement, parking on the curb or anywhere between the curbline and adjacent property line is illegal per Sect 154-923(a)(1).  Per Sect 154-923(a)(6), parking within 20 feet of an intersection is also illegal.  Signage is not required in either instance for enforcement.  I will have my parking enforcement staff inspect this location for possible illegal parking.

Regards,

Mark D. Jernigan, P.E., PMP, LTC (Ret)

Director, Department of Public Works

City of New Orleans

1300 Perdido St, Suite 6W03

New Orleans, LA 70112

Office: 504-658-8000

Fax: 504-658-8007