The Observation Deck

c. dawson wrote:I'm wondering if anyone is doing any benchmarking to see if this process is used in other cities with high population density. Certainly Lakewood is not the only city in the nation with houses close together, small yards, narrow driveways and narrow treelawns ... so there have to be some other cities using a similar system ... how do they deal with the concerns brought up here? How have they managed? Or have they been unable to utilize a system like this?

That'd be valuable information to have, rather than just speculating on whether something will work or not, and how has the demonstration gone.

Maybe what we need is a pilot?

“The automated truck pilot program will not cost anything for the city since several companies vying to sell Toledo its automated trucks and the needed rectangular containers will be providing the equipment free.â€

A pilot?

Hmmmm.....

Based on all these posts, and the interest generated so far on this back-breaking topic...

I'm thinkin' that the only pilots that we'd see around here would be either...

Stunt...

or Kamakazee.

Just sayin.....

I am all for it as long as it does not get out of hand...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-D-9kHXwpM good machine



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I49A09-o ... re=related bad machine

Steven,

Your video did not look Like the truck Lakewood was lookin' at.

I'd be afraid that freakin' machine arm might try to pick up my fireplug, my tree-lawn tree, my neighbor, my car, my.......

Seriously,

Who, in all candor, after viewing that video, would think that anyone having even mild disabilities could horse that thing fully loaded past Lakewood's parked cars and through even the little snow that we just had today?

Gary, you crack me. Seriously, I look forward to every post because I think at times you are reading my mind.

I tried to see what would happen if I tied up Batman to a garbage can, and my huge puppy was terrified of the regular cans I have. I am really going to have work hard on bribing him to do this job for me.

Dang I meant to say "Crack me UP" I forgot the word UP. AUGHHHH.

Gary Rice wrote:Steven,

Your video did not look Like the truck Lakewood was lookin' at.

I'd be afraid that freakin' machine arm might try to pick up my fireplug, my tree-lawn tree, my neighbor, my car, my.......

Seriously,

Who, in all candor, after viewing that video, would think that anyone having even mild disabilities could horse that thing fully loaded past Lakewood's parked cars and through even the little snow that we just had today?

They both look liked Kenworths to me..

Who, in all candor, after viewing that video, would think that anyone having even mild disabilities could horse that thing fully loaded past Lakewood's parked cars and through even the little snow that we just had today?

maybe it is time to start making soylent green

Stephen,

While your reference to that sci-fi wafer made from humans might have been meant as a jocular tongue-in-cheek, that metaphor might be well considered here.

Whenever people want to push forward with an agenda, all too often there is little or no consideration for those less able.

To me there is a serious possibility of people hurting or even killing themselves in an attempt to comply with getting those cans to the curbs in snow. The elderly or sick might try to shovel a path for those behemoths, only to end up hospitalized or dead as a result of their futile efforts.

Quality of life issues are a slippery slope indeed. Once we start disregarding that, can those sci-fi human content wafer crackers be far away?

Remember- sooner or later, the bell tolls for thee.

Gary Rice wrote:Stephen,

While your reference to that sci-fi wafer made from humans might have been meant as a jocular tongue-in-cheek, that metaphor might be well considered here.

Whenever people want to push forward with an agenda, all too often there is little or no consideration for those less able.

To me there is a serious possibility of people hurting or even killing themselves in an attempt to comply with getting those cans to the curbs in snow. The elderly or sick might try to shovel a path for those behemoths, only to end up hospitalized or dead as a result of their futile efforts.

Quality of life issues are a slippery slope indeed. Once we start disregarding that, can those sci-fi human content wafer crackers be far away?

Remember- sooner or later, the bell tolls for thee.

Gary, thanks for the Sci-Fi scenario... Chicken Little would be proud

We've said this from the first day automation was proposed up until now, but I guess we need to just keep repeating it.

ANY Lakewood resident who is physically unable to take their trash to the curb will be accomodated by a backup system where we will do it for them. We are not eliminating the maximum number of employees that we could under this new system, for just that reason- to have extra capacity to serve those with special needs.

In other cities- and I'm including cities that get more snow than we do, and with just as many seniors, the number of residents physically unable to do this has been under 2%; but just to be on the safe side, we are assuming even more here.

This change will be a sacrifice, however small, only for those physically able to take their trash to the curb, along with the recycling and miscellaneous items we will continue to pick up. By making this sacrifice, we will avoid approximately $500,000 in other cuts, which I assure you might affect the city- including its most vulnerable residents- in more significant ways.

One of the reasons advanced for this proposal is that workers' compensation costs are too high.

I'm wondering what, if anything, has been done to analyze these costs and possibly find a less costly way to minimize injuries. If, for example, the costs are predominantly from lifting injuries to the spine, there may very well be ways, such as training and providing back protection, that the number of injuries could be reduced at relatively low cost; at least lower than discarding our Cushmans and buying armed trucks that, even with a ten foot reach, would be unable to reach the containers at any house that has a car parked out front.

I want to be sure to reiterate that I deeply appreciate the Mayor's response to this question that so far, has received the interest of over two thousand clickers.

I also have no doubt at all, that the Mayor's office will indeed be responsible and responsive to the requests of residents unable to haul their trash to the front of their homes.

I honestly do believe that Mayor Fitzgerald would not want to endanger anyone with this action.

Having said that, I continue to be concerned that a number of residents might not want their names being listed as being needful, or would want to be singled out as someone needing extra help. It is those that I'm afraid might attempt to do more than they should do with those buckets.

Neighbors, or even troublemakers would know who, on a street, is getting the extra help, and this would single out people who might not want to be singled out or potentially victimized.

There's no intent to suggest in any way that the Mayor is not understanding and compassionate here, but by the same token, I did feel the need to point out some of the potential concerns that I saw, prior to this going into effect.

Hopefully, residents will receive clear messages from the city as to their alternatives well prior to the implementation of this plan.

Hopefully too, the process of review will also further examine all aspects of this, prior to its acceptance.

Thank you, Mayor FitzGerald, for your continued interest in this and all things Lakewood.

I still think that there are a LOT of other cities doing this, and I'm sure they've addressed the issues that are brought up here. Contrary to public opinion, Lakewood is not that wholly unique ... and we're not reinventing the wheel with this "new" process ... I think there will be some grumbling when it takes effect, there will be some bugs in the system, but in the end, everyone will get used to it, and it'll work. And it'll likely save money in the long run. Yes, it takes away the charm of saying we had backyard pickup ... but frankly, that didn't attract me to Lakewood, and even when I tried to do it that way, they never picked up my trash, until I put it on the treelawn! And yes, it'll be a pain when it snows but it is anyway, so I've gotten into the habit of digging out a spot in the treelawn to put my garbage can. That'll have to continue.

I know it's quaint to have the other way, but what's going to be the most cost-effective for the city?

Keep going at it, Mayor ... I think you're on the right track!