Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase: According To Dept of Transportation Map, 2/3s Of It Doesn't Exist

*Updated
Photo: Diane Edwardson, July27, 2015.  Yesterday, while trying to report a red curb in need of repainting, we learned the LA Dept of Transportation online map shows the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase doesn't seem to exist between the paper street of Silver Lake Court and Silver Ridge.  In other words, one of the most well-used public staircases in the neighborhood doesn't link Lake View to Silver Ridge, the Red Car Property or Allesandro Elementary School. Yet there is  City street sign post on the south side of Lake View Ave and Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase marking the intersection.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 27, 2015. Remnants of red paint are on the curb, looking down toward the Red Car Property from Lake View.

The public staircase (or walk street) appears on ZIMAS (the City's mapping & zoning information system) and the County Assessors' maps.  LAFD used to have the only reliable public staircase (and unbuilt paper street) map for emergency response.  (In the  early 2000s, during the last Silver Lake - Echo Park - Elysian Valley Community Plan Update, we gave the LAFD Hillside map to the Dept of City Planning, so  they could update and create a public staircase map.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 27, 2015.  The Silver Lake Public Staircase intersects Lake View Ave and continues up to Silver Ridge Ave.  There is no parking anytime on the west side of Lake View Ave.

There is no excuse for the City not to coordinate all of their mapping systems.  This is 2015, not 1995. 

*Update 3:30 PM:  Word came from DOT via CD13 Silver Lake  Deputy Mary Rodriguez.  Submit requests like this using the nearest address, and describe the location.  Mind you, I tried that route several times yesterday, but the website refused to take my request.  Today the website accepted it.  If neighbors want to follow up on this red curb, use service request #44828.