Sidewalk-Blocking Ordinance For City Of Tulsa To Be Adjusted

The Tulsa City Council plans to adjust an ordinance that deals with people blocking sidewalks because they said it's not just intended for homeless people.

Several city ordinances and state laws prohibit camping on sidewalks, but the city is adding ground to where it applies and that includes objects, not just people blocking a path.

The most visible road blocks, can be on a sidewalk.

The City wants to ensure construction signs, or people, don't block the pathway.

"If you can't use the sidewalk because there's something blocking the sidewalk, then that's when this ordinance and a $100 fine applies," said Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin.

Lakin helped craft changes to existing ordinances that already prohibit people form completely blocking sidewalks.

"Doorways... that's additional to what the current ordinance has," Lakin said.

The changes add that people can't block sidewalks, or paths leading to sidewalks, with signs, even construction signs, without specific permission.

Councilor Laura Bellis wanted to ensure the measure didn't go too far, and it doesn't prohibit people from stopping, sitting or laying on the sidewalk, as long as they're not blocking the way.

The same rule applies to signs, they can't block the entire thing.

"We see, and I see when I'm driving, these signs that are right in the middle of the sidewalk, and I think how is a person in a wheelchair going to use that sidewalk? They can't, go off the curb into the street, there is no other option for them," Lakin said.