The Silver Spring Penguin

Brick sidewalk pavers are okay to stay in central business districts like those in downtown Silver Spring and Wheaton, the county council decided Tuesday morning.

The six working council members voted unanimously to keep the brick stuff as long as it conformed to what was referred to as the “Bethesda streetscape standard”. That means a concrete foundation, a schmear of asphalt on top of that, then an asphalt adhesive to hold the bricks together, Kenneth Hartman, director of Bethesda’s regional center, explained in a letter last month to the department of transportation.

Urban districts, which manage their respective public sidewalks, also must have ongoing maintenance agreements if they want to keep brick pavers around, the council added.

“The standards we’re adopting today achieve the goals of the disabled to get around safely and in an aesthetically pleasing manner,” council member Roger Berliner (D-District 1) told his colleagues during their weekly session.

A member of the county’s commission on people with disabilities told council members she was pleased with their decision, saying it was a “win-win” for her constituents and other stakeholders. The commission previously argued that brick-covered sidewalks made for a tricky, sometimes trippy walk for disabled pedestrians, and they were hell on wheelchairs and other equipment.

Glenn Orlin, deputy council staff director, also reported that brick pavers were more expensive to install than concrete sidewalk slabs. Installing 100 feet or more of concrete sidewalk would cost the county $9 per square foot. Compare that with the $26 per square foot for a brick surface — almost three times the price of concrete, Orlin wrote last month.

On the flip side, the cost of repairing a brick sidewalk is on par with patching concrete. Fixing a concrete sidewalk means replacing entire 5′ x 5′ slabs, running about $14 per square foot. Patching up brick means screwing around with only the affected pieces, which runs about $15 per square foot, Orlin added.

Residents swing both ways on the issue. Some argue that the brick surfaces are slippery when wet, while others favor them because they give the place a signature look.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Daquella Manera.

It’s time for downtown Silver Spring’s brick-covered sidewalks to hit the road, according to a resolution dropped on the county council Tuesday.

“Given that the uneven surface of brick pavers limits access to public spaces and increases the risk of falls for people with disabilities, this plan is simply a matter of common sense,” said council member Nancy Floreen (D-At large), who introduced the idea at the council’s weekly meeting.

At least five other council members have her back on this one, according to a press statement.

Under the proposal, brick pavers would be out of the public right of way. Pavers may still be used along edges and as decorative elements. Projects approved before Feb 24, 2009, as well as private homes, would be exempt.

The county’s Commission on People with Disabilities have complained that people with limited mobility find brick pavers a bitch to navigate. The pavers also create barriers for sight-impaired people, the commission said.

“This denies people with disabilities access to many places of entertainment, shopping and activities of daily life,” Jackie Simon, a commission member, said in a press statement. “A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all.”

The county’s transportation department admits the brick pavers are trickier and more expensive to maintain than concrete or asphalt. But Patricia Shepherd, with the department’s division of transportation engineering, said ditching them entirely for something else would rub out a signature look for downtown Silver Spring.

“We wouldn’t have those special places like we do today,” she told Silver Spring’s pedestrian-safety committee Wednesday night.

The county council’s transportation committee works out the issue on Mar 9, 2009, in Rockville.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Daquella Manera.