[iamjdg]

I know this makes for good press and beauracy does suck. But bylaws and regulation result in safe and livable cities. If everyone just did as they pleased, it would be chaos. But it is a good reminder to always bring practicality into situations and try to minimize wasted money and time.

[bko]

I see two approaches to general government contracting. One is the proactive approach which would require some government agency to find "approved" vendors and micromanage the project. The other would be a liability approach, which would essentially mean that the overall goal of a project is provided and the lowest bid is taken across a large pool of contractors. However, if it is built very poorly and someone gets hurt, the contractor would be liable in court. The proactive approach has its appeal, but often results in higher costs and not necessarily better quality since the vendors and requirements are set by politicians and unaccountable, unelected committees.

I believe we are closer to the first in most cities, but I would much rather prefer the second.

[evgen]

The second falls victim to fly-by-night contracting companies that are created for a specific project and then disappear in a puff of smoke once it is done and their check clears. The liability approach fails constantly because the vendor is able to easily shield themselves from the liability and then the public is left holding the bag. If the public is going to end up being the only available deep pockets for such torts then it has the responsibility to make sure that the project is built to a sufficient standard to not endanger the public and to meet the specified goals.

[mcv]

But in this case, they lead to a less safe situation. I'm all for regulations and bylaws that actually make cities safer and more liveable, but here the city put extra effort into making the city less safe because the safety wasn't done according to their regulations. And it sounds like they're still not doing it the way it should be done.

That is of course assuming that this is a place where people walk, but it sounds like it is, and people did apparently get hurt in the stairless situation.

[SpikeDad]

Exactly. And Bureaucracy doesn't necessarily suck on it's own. When it's used properly it protects people who are unable to protect themselves due to funding or ignorance.

[mSparks43]

and when no one can do what they please you know you live in America.

Now, get back to flipping bits.