City Council
City to study how to maintain accessibility even after a big snow storm.
Last month's snowstorm left some wheelchair users stuck at home for weeks, a council member said. So she's proposing a citywide inventory of curb cuts, intersections, and transit stops to guide snow clearing. It would also have the city cite owners who don't clear sidewalks. But council held the bill for two weeks to get feedback from city planners.
Written by Amy Whipple
Even though most of the snow from last month’s storm has melted, Council Member Barb Warwick’s concern about accessibility after a storm has not thawed.
Warwick, of Greenfield, proposed legislation to conduct a city-wide right-of-way accessibility inventory to be completed before the first flakes of snow next winter.
During council’s Feb. 18 committee meeting, Warwick said the combination of a deep snowfall, with ice and the big snowbanks created by plowing, blocked curb-cuts, intersections and transit stops. Those snow piles lasted longer than they normally would because of the subsequent string of below-freezing temperatures. “We heard from wheelchair users who were stuck in their homes for weeks,” she said.
If passed, the Department of City Planning will work with accessibility and transit advocates to collect data on the use of curb-cuts, intersections, and transit stops. It would also include the location of parking spots for disabled residents as well as hospitals, schools and houses of worship, among others, that require free and clear access to curbs and sidewalks.
The bill also calls for the city to identify and cite property owners who fail to clear their sidewalks to keep the right-of-way safe for pedestrians.
The data would allow the Departments of Public Works and Public Safety to prioritize clearing snow and ice in high-usage areas. “It is a monumental task,” Warwick said.
According to the legislation, initial data would be made available to the public no later than Nov. 15.
Council voted to hold the bill for two weeks to receive feedback from the Department of City Planning.
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