Rolling My Hot Wheels Past Fort Worth Thorns & Sculptural Art

With the temperature only 14 degrees short of being 100, and with the humidity being extremely high, it seemed a good idea, at the time, to take my handlebars on a sunny roll around my neighborhood.

I opted to go a more adventurous route than my repetitive regular route.

The more adventurous route added a few more miles and a few more steep hills.

The more adventurous route also took my handlebars by the scene you see here, the massive work of sculptural art which greets Fort Worth's visitors coming from the east, if they think to look north as they pass this location on I-30.

One thing aggravated me whilst rolling my wheels today.

Part of today's biking route has me rolling on one of Fort Worth's ridiculously narrow sidewalks.  This would be between the old abandoned Krogers building and the East Regional Library (closed Fridays because Fort Worthers don't read on Fridays).

The last time I biked on that sidewalk I complained about the mesquite brush which hung over the sidewalk. That was months ago. Today the thorny brush was worse. Very dangerous, what with there being little barrier between sidewalk and high speed road. Dodging a 3 inch thorn could have someone careening onto the road.

Is a city liable if someone is injured due to an accident caused by their poorly maintained sidewalks?

I remember when I first saw what is now known as The Drowning Pool in Fort Worth's Water Gardens that I remarked that that did not look safe. Sadly, years later that safety problem became undeniable, with four victims drowned. Fort Worth forked over a lot of money to compensate the survivors of that tragedy.

I tried to break the offending twigs and get them out of the way. I was unsuccessful in this endeavor. Previously I was successful in removing an offending mesquite twig menacing the sidewalk on Boca Raton Boulevard.

I suppose, for safety's sake, when one is biking in Fort Worth one should always include a pruning device in ones accessory bag....