Pedestrians shouldn’t have to tiptoe along the edges of a gaping sidewalk utility cut to stay out of a mud pit.

Our regular readers know that we regard poorly filled utility cuts as pustules in our roads and sidewalks, a visible sign of the indifference of utilities that would rather cut corners than do it the right way.

If you’ve ever hit a sunken utility cut in your car while zipping along at the speed limit, it feels like a bomb went off. And if it needs fixing, good luck making a claim to the city for damages.

A sunken utility cut in a sidewalk is also a safety issue, but because it only impacts pedestrians, there seems to be less urgency on the part of utilities to keep them properly filled.

That describes the situation on the south side of D’Arcy St., west of Beverly St., where a utility cut that runs from one edge of the sidewalk to the other becomes a muddy bog in rainy weather.

Anthony Abbatangelo sent us a note and photo of the hole, saying “it was left that way after the water mains were replaced months ago,” adding he reported it to 311 but nothing happened.

Instead of the asphalt used to patch many other holes dug in sidewalks on both sides of the street, this one is “filled with crud and random construction debris,” he said.

“It’s an eyesore and an inconvenience for a lot of people with mobility issues in the neighbourhood.”

One thing he didn’t mention was that the dirt in the hole turns to mud when it rains, which is almost every day. The mud was drying up when we were there, but it was clearly a gooey mess not long before.

With front yard fences along one side of the sidewalk and parked cars on the other, there isn’t much room to skirt around it. And for those who aren’t particularly nimble, it’s into the mud.

STATUS: Steve Johnston, who deals with media for transportation services, emailed to say a city crew would be sent right away to fill the hole with asphalt, until they figure out the utility responsible for it.