“On the Horizon” showcases the opinions and creative talents of individual Horizon writers.

Yolanda Romero is a community organizer and founding member of the Highbridge Horizon. She has lived in Highbridge for nearly 20 years.

On the Horizon: Clean streets are everyone's job

By Yolanda Romero
Staff Reporter

It is disturbing to walk through the streets of Highbridge and see garbage everywhere. You see all kinds of garbage in front of apartment buildings, in the streets, on the sidewalks and even in front of shops.

On paper, Highbridge is one of the poorest sections of the Bronx but that shouldn’t necessarily make it one of the dirtiest. Highbridge is also one of the best places to live – it has been blossoming for a long time now.

There are families who want to raise their children in a close, safe, and homey neighborhood. It cannot be done if we don’t care enough to keep our streets clean and to work together to make it happen. Littering is one of the biggest quality of life issues in the Bronx (besides air pollution and rat infestation).

With city-owned garbage cans on almost every block, it’s difficult to understand why people drop their food wrappers and empty cans on the sidewalk.

The Mayor’s Office of Operations runs a program called, “The Scorecard,” which measures the cleanliness of city streets and sidewalks. After tracking and monitoring randomly selected streets in every part of the city, the program makes the Scorecard available to Community Boards and other public groups who want to learn about the cleanliness and conditions of their neighborhood.

Among the findings in the April 2002 Scorecard Community Board Report:

• Percentage of acceptably clean streets: Community Board 4 was rated 87.8 percent, making it the third cleanest board in the Bronx. The highest was Community Board 10, which rated 96.6 percent.

• Percentage of acceptably clean sidewalks: Community Board 4 came in fourth in the Bronx with a rating of 93.1 percent. Community Board 10 once again was the cleanest at 96.7 percent.

Studying the public’s perception and expectations of streets and sidewalks cleanliness developed the Scorecard’s measures of cleanliness, which are based on “rigorous photographic standards of cleanliness for streets and sidewalks.”

Everyone should be accountable for keeping our streets and sidewalks clean. From the inconsiderate people who throw their garbage in front of buildings and out of the car windows, to the superintendents and landlords and to the city officials who should be giving out tickets to the ones people who deserve it. We don’t need signs to tell us, “Do Not Litter,” and, “Clean Up After Your Dog.”

An important part of improving the quality of life for every one in Highbridge is eliminating certain problems and by working together with our neighbors. Of course, the Sanitation Dept. has a responsibility to make sure that our communities are kept clean, but we, too, can make that difference in our community. We must make it happen for ourselves.