Capitol Avenue near Forest Street
Why is a stretch of Capitol Avenue (from the UHaul building to the intersection with Laurel Street) perpetually covered with litter? I don’t mean a few empty soda bottles or cigarette butts. Garbage. Tires, clothing, broken glass, wrappers, bags, furniture. Why? This road gets considerable traffic, as it’s a major link from West Hartford to downtown. The Connecticut State Capitol is on this street. The Legislative Office Building is on this street.

Last week when many sidewalks were still covered with ice, I had two choices when walking to La Paloma Sabanera: (1) Attempt to walk on the icy, unsalted, unsanded sidewalks and risk falling or (2) Walk in the street and risk getting hit by a car. This choice was compounded by the presence of broken chunks of glass in several spots which could be fallen on. I need to clarify. I am not referring to the smashed window glass which presents a danger, but is basically pebble-sized. You know how in movies there will be a fight at a bar, someone will smash a beer bottle, and then someone else will get threatened or stabbed with the jagged bottle? That’s what I mean. Those were in several places.

I know that graffiti is “removed” (painted over) every so often. That’s nice and all, but after getting through this section of road, I felt the need to be disinfected because of all the litter I stepped on. The spray painted “I tag, therefore I am” announcements are fairly innocuous in comparison with a dirty rank sweatshirt that’s been hanging off a post for months. Near the train overpass, there is an area that resembles a garbage dump. It’s embarrassing.

In downtown I see people sweeping the sidewalks. I can walk about in open-toed heels certain not to step on or in anything that’d send me to the emergency room. I do appreciate this, but I wonder if it’d be possible for these services to extend out into the neighborhoods. We don’t need to be able to eat off the sidewalk, just walk on it in sneakers.