One great thing about living in Tempe is the alleys behind the homes. In other cities without alleys, home owners must put "over-sized" garbage on the street during selected weeks of the month and await pick up. That's not necessarily a tremendous inconvenience, but it does make streets look terrible during those weeks. Some cities require you to call for a custom pick up time which is invoiced on your water bill. Alleys remove those concerns. Have some over-sized trash you don't want? Put it in the alley 7 days a week, 24 hours a day!
There are two problems with alleys: 1.) they allow unscrupulous characters behind your house while, at the same time, they are technically on public property and 2.) They are dirt, which cause dust (and more dust) when your neighbors drive down them. This post only discusses problem #2.
Thanks to the City of Tempe for changing that. For most of 2008 they have been paving dirt alleys with crushed asphalt. It was recently our turn. Here are the pictures:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
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