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How are the streets and sidewalks in your village?
by Greg Reibman | Dec 15, 2013 | Newton | 18 comments
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Ugh. That. Stuff. Is. Heavy.
The real problem will be for anyone not getting to the snow removal before the deep freeze.
Just got in from outside. The streets seem to be pretty ok, but Dan’s right. This is now ice on top of heavy snow on top of slush. And the temperature is dropping.
You’ll excuse me while I go look for some ibuprofen.
I’m recounting my own experience because I’m certain it’s happening all through Newton. Our driveway was plowed at 5:30 this morning and I was out getting the snow off the walk and sidewalk around 7. The temperature was well above freezing when I left to go to the Oak Square Y around 8 AM. The roads and Y parking lot were slushy, but clear and not slippery. When I left the Y before 11, the parking lot was frozen solid with, at least, a half inch of ice. When I got home, my driveway, front walk and sidewalks were a solid coat of ice. I also observed that very few sidewalks had been cleared along any of the roadways heading home.
Shoveling sidewalks is always a big blog hit this time of year and I’m bringing up something I’ve raised during previous snowstorms. The best snow removal ordinance can’t best Mother Nature. We get a lot of storms each year and some of them are just like the one we experienced last night. They start out as snow, turn to sleet, then to rain and quickly refreeze. In this instance, many, perhaps most, sidewalks won’t get shoveled before everything freezes solid. The temperature is now registering 19 at our back door. The City mandates that everyone clear their sidewalks, but we know this won’t be done within the next 36 hours because it can’t physically be done when everything freezes solid. It’s also clear that individual home sidewalks on every road throughout Newton will be cleared with sharply varying degrees of thoroughness so it probably won’t be safe to walk down most streets for at least the next 3 days. Only then will the temperature get above freezing,–maybe.
In circumstances like this, the safest place to walk is on side streets, like the one I live on. That is what almost all pedestrians walking on Dickerman Road do regardless of how well I shovel my sidewalk. It’s evenly plowed and treated from one end of the street to the other.
We have snow warning restrictions in place before and during a storm including the banning of overnight parking between November and April. Perhaps we should think about instituting post storm restrictions including sharply reduced speed limits that essentially call for a space sharing arrangement on all side streets between automobiles and pedestrians for at least two or three days after a storm like the one we have just gone through. Pedestrians are going to gravitate to the street regardless of what regulations exist or don’t exist. The focus should be on curbing the speed of automobiles during heavy ice conditions and on the City’s ability to expeditiously clear and treat all side roads so that pedestrians and motorists can use them as safely and expeditiously as possible.
My biggest gripe is the citizens who feel it is their right to shovel, blow and plow the snow off their property and into the street. These are the same people who blow their leaves and grass clippings into the street. People, YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED.
@Bob: You raise some important issues, under these conditions sidewalks, driveways and streets that weren’t clear aren’t going to be clear. And with more snow in the forecast we could be looking at dangerous situations — and frustration — for many days to come.
I just got back from my Sunday night dog walk. I walked passed 25 houses and 1 elementary school. The school appeared to be completely ready for the students and teachers tomorrow; traffic will most likely be more congested because of the ice piles. 23 of the houses had their sidewalks cleared (some not to the standards of the new ordinance, yet they were passable). One sidewalk was not done. One house on a corner lot appeared to have shoveled both sidewalks; however the street plow had pushed the intersection’s snow onto their shoveled sidewalk at the corner. Of the 3 fire hydrants, they were all accessible,yet not completely cleared.
Aggravated the hamstring moving the heavy slop at the end of the driveway that the snow blower couldn’t throw. Couldn’t do the sidewalk after that. So if you get to my section of the sidewalk when you walking to the Waban T Station. Sorry, the person responsible for that part of the walk was injured so you have to walk on snow or in the street.
I’d feel badly but it’s ridiculous that it’s my individual responsibility to shovel land that isn’t mine.
We discovered that one of our neighbors pushes the snow from her sidewalk, across the street and piles it onto the berm/our sidewalk, which means more work for us. Her excuse is that her side walk is clean and spotless. Great, so by the end of the season we will have the great tower of snow on our corner with no sidewalk visable, but she will have a clear sidewalk . . . and BTW she doesn’t push snow onto her lawn . . . . . better to push it to our sidewalk! Nothing like neighbors!
Tough getting back from a weekend away to a driveway, sidewalks, and cars that are solid blocks of ice. It’s going to be a tough shovel this AM!
It’s time the City took responsibility for clearing sidewalks along all major routes. And it’s also time the voters of Newton held public officials responsible for their failure to do so.
Still lots of ice. Simply a complication of the freezing temps, something we don’t always have like this with the snow.
Mike, how would you define “major routes?” In general I agree, going back years to my gripes about the Pike crossing in Newton Corner (haven’t been on foot to day to see how that looks).
As for my street, we do have ice, but the plowing is curb to curb, impressive as usual.
Doug– I’m not going to try and define “major routes.” The term is almost irrelevant. My point is that the City should be plowing the sidewalks like they plow the roads. Particularly heavily traveled sidewalks. I’m tired of seeing our local representatives shirk their public safety responsibility.
Around my n’hood we have many homes with grass walkways in front, no concrete sidewalks but simply grass walkways. For some reason these homeowners feel no need/responsibility to clear the walkway. So the road is the only alternative. Some of these people are elected officials too. I believe they should clear a path for pedestrians. They are not exempt from the snow ordinance.
Nor do developers/realtors who buy a property to flip it take responsibility for snow removal. We’re heading into our second winter with a realtor/owner and who has never cleared the walk on our street.
I met a young woman walking the other way on Grove Street today who was carrying a pair of shoes and walking barefoot on the icy sidewalk. (And she didn’t look mentally unbalanced or anything.) Since she was going in the opposite direction she was gone before I had a chance to ask her why, but I think it must have been for better traction than her shoes. I’ve heard of people walking on coals, and long-distance runners running barefoot, but I thought this was pretty impressive hardiness.
My car was in the shop today, so I walked places, and walking on most sidewalks is a rather tense affair.
Trying to get into the library’s front entrance this evening was also rather nerve-wracking. Quite a glossy sheet of ice.
My walk on a different neighborhood track Monday afternoon did not have the same positive results as my Sunday evening walk. Many of the homeowners had not shoveled their sidewalks. There were numerous other sidewalks that were shoveled from the front walk to the home’s driveway, leaving the other half neglected. This shows a homeowner that is concerned about their own safety and comfort yet not their neighbors and local pedestrians. And there is evidence of private plows blocking sidewalks with snow from their customers’ driveways.
More concerning were the multiple intersections where snowplows had blocked shoveled sidewalks with the snow pushed from the street. Also the sidewalks abutting city parks were left undone. As noted by others in this thread, the city needs to perform at a much higher level if it expects the citizens to obey the snow ordinance. Or is this just another example of a governing body enacting regulations from which it exempts itself?
Today’s storm will only exacerbate the problems.