The following Letter to the Editor was published in the February 16, 2011 Newton TAB, available online at Wicked Local Newton.
Let’s make our sidewalks safer in winter and keep walkers out of our streets. For these reasons, the League of Women Voters of Newton supports the sidewalk snow ordinance and strongly urges the Board of Aldermen to vote for the proposed two-year trial. This ordinance will improve safety for all winter walkers: students traveling to and from school; residents walking to work or to train or bus stops for their commute; those who can’t or choose not to drive; and hardy souls out walking or jogging for health and pleasure.
The proposed snow ordinance has undergone important amendments in response to feedback. It imposes no fines during the two-year trial that would begin November, 2011. The required clearance width has been reduced from 48” to 36” and the time for compliance has been extended to 30 hours from the end of the storm. The current proposal also protects those who are unable to shovel and unable to afford snow removal services. The City currently provides the names of volunteers willing to help qualifying individuals, and so far this year volunteers have satisfied all requests from qualified households.
More progress to eliminate snow heaped on sidewalks and improve sidewalk curb cut clearance is still needed, and the city is committed to continuing to improve its enforcement of current snow ordinances, especially preventing sidewalk snow mounds. We believe this renewed commitment, combined with the trial effort to clear residential sidewalks, should give Newtonians time to come together to dig ourselves out of our annual snow issues.
Our study of surrounding communities found that residential snow ordinances dramatically improve sidewalk safety. We can make this happen in Newton too. We ask the Board of Aldermen to support this trial and make our sidewalks safer in winter for everyone in our city.
–Gail Glick
Spokesperson, League of Women Voters of Newton