REVIVE: AFTER WINTER STORM JONAS

We took the above photo the day after Winter Storm Jonas blew into town and was quite amazed at how all of the neighbors and local businesses have really made an effort to shovel the sidewalks.  This was also true for the city which snowplowed the streets even during the blizzard.  Early intervention prevented slippery ice to form but the one thing that really becomes a hinderance are the corner curbs and crosswalks.  Blocked up drains and all of snow piled up on curb end up making a disastrous environment for anyone who has to hit the pavement to get to work.

There does not appear to be any guidelines on whose responsibility it is to clear a path for pedestrians but accidents are mostly likely at these corners which end up becoming gigantic walls at first and then icy lakes because of blocked up drainage caused by uncleared snow.  Bus stops are also a big problem seeing that not all of them have clear pathway for access during the earlier part of this time period.  Hopefully the situation is something that could be addressed locally going forward since the majority of city dwellers do not have cars.  Many vehicles are also buried under mountains of snow right after winter storms so those automobile owners end up commuting just like everyone else who rely on sidewalks.