When The Lights Go Out
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 29 January 2009 — 1 comment below »
One of the bits of misinformation peddled about the benefits of a Lighting and Landscape District is the prompt replacement of street-lamps by City employees. But many streets in the Waterfront are plagued with dozens of burnt-out street-lamps that haven’t been replaced in weeks and months.
On Sycamore Avenue, from San Pablo Avenue to Railroad Avenue, ten street-lamps are out. Six of those are between South Front Street and Tsushima Street (adjacent to the future Sycamore Downtown project), where plenty of cars park as a makeshift overflow lot for the Park-and-Ride. Another street-lamp along this stretch is missing altogether because of a long-passed traffic collision (complete with wiring exposed at the sidewalk). Who is responsible?
On San Pablo Avenue, six consecutive street-lamps are out (heading north from Hercules Avenue towards Tsushima Street). That type of darkness would be noticeable from an airplane. Drivers consistently speed along at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour (in a spot that should be actively radar-controlled). And this has become one of the most dangerous streets in the City to walk along at night. Who is responsible?
On Bayfront Boulevard, over the course of a distance no greater than the length of a football field, a remarkable nine street-lamps are out. Nearby residents know that this area has become a lover’s lane of sorts, and it is easy to see why. Who is responsible?
Public Works is responsible for replacing the burned out lights. However, the department is not open at night, they do not patrol the area at night to see which lights are out, and the employees may not live in Hercules and notice that the lights are out.
So how do they find out that the lights are burned out? Someone has to report it to them and be persistent.
Kathy Cyr will issue a work order, if someone tells her the pole number for the burned out light. The department is as slow as molasses and several calls may be required to prompt them into action. They replaced the bulb in front of my house on Earnest Street, but it took several emails and phone calls over a 3 month period for it to happen.
Hector
Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Public Works & Engineering Staff
Staff Member Title Email Phone
Erwin Blancaflor, Public Works Director/ Assoc. City Engineer eblancaflor@ci.hercules.ca.us 510-799-8242
Jose Pacheco, Asst. Civil Engineer jpacheco@ci.hercules.ca.us 510-799-8247
Jeff Brown, Public Works Superintendent jbrown@ci.hercules.ca.us 510-799-8252
Kathleen Cyr, Public Works Technician kcyr@ci.hercules.ca.us 510-799-8241