Sort of.

My friends and stair-climbing partners Andrew Lichtman and Ying Chen were the first to report this, and sent these pix (click to enlarge.)

In the tradition of not being overly thankful for things that should happen without anyone yelling about them in the first place, this fix – which I assume the city is responsible for – is pretty weak. The support struts for the gates are still there; those were the ones that were sunk into concrete, and since they still exist, putting in a new gate wouldn’t be that hard.

Bob Inman – LA’s Stairway King – also noticed, and sent me this account:

“Top and bottom gates removed. The posts they hung from are still there, even with springs hanging uselessly from them. I think there was some sort of city notice posted at the bottom but I was rushing and did not park to go read it. I had kind of a strange call from the City last Monday in response to the report I filed. Essentially the only reason they called was to ask if I knew which neighbor had put them up. Frustrating that they delayed their response trying to work out that moot point. But also satisfying to see my report had not yet made its way to the deep six file.”

Meanwhile, Diane Edwardson, of the Corralitas Red Car Property blog, reports that another nearby staircase – this one leading up to Corralitas Drive, just west of the Glendale Freeway at the edge of Echo Park, is getting some much needed repairs – though again, there’s more to do be done (specifically, fixing the side of the staircase – ignored during this repair – that borders a dangerous open trench. See Diane’s blog for more info.)

Image: Diane Edwardson; taken Dec. 17, 2009.

I’ve asked the Department of Streets to finish the jobs; I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Click for more pictures.

Friday, November 27. Working on new stairway routes with a bunch of friends; we take a late-afternoon walk that mainly runs north and south of Sunset Boulevard, through Silverlake, Echo Park, and Angelino Heights. When we get to the Effie/Mohawk stairs – they’re just wast of Glendale Blvd., where Effie and Mohawk reach dead-ends – the 111 steps are free and clear. (See the map, below, for more info on the stair location.)

Less than 48 hours later, I’m on a run and approach the same staircase from the bottom, only to find a set of iron gates – one low, where Effie dead-ends east of Glendale Blvd., and another at the top, where Mohawk Street reaches a cul-de-sac – have been put up. The cement is so fresh that I can still get it on my fingers (the pictures above were taken that day.)

BACKGROUND: There are over 20 closed stairways in Los Angeles; a few may have been legitimately shuttered, but others have clearly been appropriated by private individuals. Last year, I complained to the city’s bureau of street services about one of them – the Fargo Street stairway, between Apex and Rockford, east of the Silverlake Reservoir; an investigator was sent out, who told me that the closure was likely illegal, but that doing anything about it would be a low priority. Nothing has happened (we called the Fargo stairs the “Stairs of Darkness” on 2009’s walk. See a gallery and map of that closure here.)

ANALYSIS/OPINION: I’ve been asked – several times – why simply going up to one of these stairways and opening it DIY-style isn’t an option. The answer is simple: legally, stairs are public streets in Los Angeles. They should be maintained and respected the same as any street. The city has a responsibility to keep these thoroughfares open, and prevent them from being taken private, just as it does any residential street that happens – by quirk of fate and history – to also accommodate non-pedestrian traffic. Nobody should have to take the law into their own hands to keep a public asset within public grasp. (As far as crime problems on the stairs, if that was the cause of the appropriation, I also believe that nobody should have to worry about their safety in Los Angeles – but blocking a public street isn’t correct, legitimate, or legal. My sympathy drains quickly…)

UPDATE: Diane Edwardson, who runs the Corralitas Red Car Property blog, got my initial email blast and contacted the office of City Council president Eric Garcetti (Garcetti’s district, CD 13, includes the stairways in question.) We got an almost immediate – reply from Mitch O’Farrell, the councilman’s District Director of Constituent Services. He checked with the Bureau of Street Services and reported this:

“I heard back from the bureau of street services about this gate. They will first try and determine who installed it. If they cannot, then they file a board report for the Board of Public Works for approval. They told me they would expedite this report.”

That’s super encouraging. The stairway blockage should go down – legally – as fast as it went up illegally.

YOU SHOULD: Contact Garcetti’s office directly – here’s list of local field operatives – and encourage haste in this matter. A call to the Bureau of Street Services hotline would be a good idea, also: the number is 800-996-2489. Be polite, but forceful; let them know that the stairway is located at 1692 Mohawk St. (bottom; east side) and 2219 Mohawk (top; west side.)

HERE’S WHERE THEY ARE:

• On last year’s Big Parade route (Day One), they’re Stairway 46, mile 15.7.
• Bob Inman’s stairway guide shows them as Silverlake North/Stairway 21.
• They’re Stairway Seven on the Echo Park Historical Society list.

And here’s an ordinary map:
View Illegally Blocked Stair – Effie/Mohawk in a larger map

13 miles, Shrine Auditorium to Venice, party afterward – Saturday, Nov. 21.

Learn more: The Great Los Angeles Walk: The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 is Tomorrow!.

Planning to use mass transit? Here’s an info packet I made (PDF file, password for downloading is “glaw”.

From Dump.com.

hey I'm tweeting while I drive on a freeway at rush hour #dumbasses

BTW, according to Sigalert.com, traffic speeds at the time the map image was taken ranged between 20 and 40 mph in both directions.

Heinous. Fake signs, fake laws, intimidation. That’s not DIY – that’s theft. Great job from the KNBC reporter, though I think she could have focused blame a bit harder on restaurants that hire the valets.

Read it here: Streetsblog Los Angeles » A Bitter Ode to Union Station.

Make Your Own Park at Wilshire and Vermont (click to enlarge; or see full text, below)

Last July, I wrote an article in Bicycling magazine about our hometown “Department of DIY,” the group that painted a much-needed bike lane on bridge that crossed the Los Angeles River - a spot that where a lane had been proposed, promised, and even funded by the city, over and over again, but where no facility had ever happened, despite the documented danger cyclists faced there.

The article evoked a lot of debate. Metblogs was the first to notice the lane, here. Activist Stephen Box wrote about it here; Toronto’s Urban Repair Squad – the mothership of all home-made bike lane projects – featured it here; and I revisited the topic at StreetsblogLA (a series of posts and articles followed, rounding out the debate.)

I just received a communique from the Department of DIY announcing its latest action – in conjunction with today’s Parking Day celebration (for the uninitiated: a special day when we take over parking spaces, paying the meter fees to use the section of roadway for something else – art, protest, selling cookies, and making sweet, sweet love…)

Here are pictures of the sign and a statement from the Department. (Perhaps not obviously, whether the city actually is involved with this couldn’t be confirmed. I suggest you contact the appropriate folks mentioned in the sign text and find out for yourself…)

“In an unprecedented move, the City of Los Angeles contacted the Department of DIY to discuss community involvement for a new city park on the southeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Vermont Ave. ‘Those of us who work for this great city’, said the liaison, ‘have realized the importance of public space created not only for, but by the people.’ Per the city’s request, the sign announcing the park was posted at the future location to coincide with Park[ing] Day LA. She only asked that the following statement be included in our communication with the public: ’For too long this city has been overrun by the automobile. A city with fewer automobiles and more pedestrians, cyclists and public transit users is good for our collective health and social well-being. We applaud the people of Park[ing] Day LA for their vision, determination and hard work to make Los Angeles the great city we all strive toward. More public, green space is part of this vision. Please know that the city is behind you 100%.’ “

Note direct response system; no closed hearing needed.

Here’s the full text of the sign (with the name and contact info for an LA DOT official redacted to prevent excessive mail from spam-bots; you’re encouraged to read the sign if you want the info.)

Text of sign:

COMING SOON: A PARK FOR THE PEOPLE
The City of Los Angeles is pleased to announce the future home of the Alprentice ‘Bunchy’ Carter community park in collaboration with Park[ing] Day and their vision of a greener, brighter, more democratic Los Angeles.

Facility Hours Of Operation:  24 Hours a Day/ 7 Days a Week

PERMIT-FREE VENDING
SKATE/BIKE PARK
100 COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOTS
WEEKLY FARMERS MARKETS
JOGGING PATH
MULTI-PURPOSE SPORTS FIELD
Bike Station (bikestation.org)

Classes/Programs:
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
ARTS & CRAFTS
SENIOR PROGRAMS
NUTRITION COUNSELING

We want your ideas! Please fill out a card with your ideas for your park and place it in the box.

(city contact info redacted.)

Dang, don’tcha wish EVERY DAY was Parking Day?

View Community Parade in a larger map

The event is sponsored by nine community groups, as well as California State Assemblyman Kevin de Leon and the Dodgers. Additional sponsorship is being sought. For lots more information, visit: Echo Park Community Parade – Holiday Magic, December 13th, 2008.