Arlington attitude toward ramps wrong

The council's decision to no longer remove sidewalk ramps when there is no ramp on the opposite street is a day late and $450,000 short.

The city removed a ramp on the corner of West Maude Avenue and Fernandez Street last year.

This ramp was directly opposite our drive, making access to the opposite street easy for a handicapped person. But it is far too dangerous to use a ramp that leads to a driveway.

Now, the handicapped must use the ramp to cross Fernandez Avenue, hopefully avoiding all traffic that might turn into Fernandez, then cross Maude Avenue to access a street ramp. Presumably, there are statistics to prove that it is much safer to cross two streets than one!

To add salt to the wound, the curb that was dug up was not completed until late November. The soil was not prepared, sufficient topsoil was not added, and the seed didn't take (it was late November - what did they expect?). 

The city council should do with a few less perks and replace the sidewalk ramps they so foolishly removed.

Cherryl M. Crouch

Arlington Heights