Winter snow clearance in the Walking City
I used to write yearly about this, focusing on how the sustainable mobility centric city needs snow removal policies that co-equally privilege walking, biking and transit users, not just the motor vehicle parts of roads.
Moving to Salt Lake City-one of Utah's marketing slogans is "the best snow on earth"--is that ironically it doesn't snow that much in the city. Most of the city is flat, in the valley. The northeast sections (I live in part there), do get more snow, but it truly varies--one mile east closer to the mountains gets 2x or 3x the amount of snow we do. Often, within a couple days the snow melts off our driveway anyway.
Of course, the mountain canyons get much more snow than Salt Lake, have avalanche threats, etc.
The city stays on top of road snow clearance, most households shovel their sidewalks, and I don't know what the city does for separated bike lanes--which aren't close to my house, and these days I am unable to bike anyway.
A Reddit thread complains about the quality of snow removal in DC ("Has DC's snow removal gone downhill? "), and it covers some of the same issues that got me writing those posts starting in 2009 (also my experience then working as a bicycle and pedestrian planner for Baltimore County).
Back then it was Mayor Fenty's Administration that failed. Surprisingly or not so surprisingly, the Reddit thread focus is on the roads--but then even pedestrians use them, especially when sidewalks aren't cleared.
I did find that my yearly "complaints" about the issue led to year-by-year-improvements. DDOT even swiped a photo I reprinted from the Boston Globe on the topic. But I'm not there now... GGW focuses on "snecks" but not the overall problem of snow removal in the Walking-Biking-Transit City ("Snow reveals excess roadway").
-- "Snow reminds us of the necessity of a "maintenance of way" agenda," 2013
-- "Testimony on the Winter Sidewalk Safety Amendment Act of 2011," 2011
-- "Level of service and maintenance requirements in planning #2: winter maintenance of bike paths," 2012
-- "Night-time safety: rethinking lighting in the context of a walking community," 2014
-- "Planning for Winter Weather," 2015
-- "Cataloging the various failures to remove snow in the walking/transit/bicycling city," 2015
-- "Who knew?: there is a Winter Cycling Federation and annual conference," 2015 -- the upcoming Congress is in Montreal, February 8th-10th, 2017
-- "Focusing on what's most important: snow on sidewalks or snow on cars?," 2016
-- "Winter preparedness, planning and the Walking/Biking/Transit City," 2019
-- "Walking City Wintertime: Snow and strollers in Toronto," 2019
MOW is a term used by railroads. And "transit city" as an urban form encompasses sustainable modes of transportation--walking, biking, and transit--based on the concepts expressed in "Transportation and Urban Form: Stages in the Spatial Evolution of the American Metropolis" by Peter Muller.
- webpage
- FOR THE LOVE OF WINTER: Winter City Strategy Implementation Plan
- Winter Design Strategy
- Winter City Design Guidelines: Transforming Edmonton into a Great Winter City
Labels: car culture and automobility, disability planning, emergency management planning, nightlife economy, pedestrian safety, public space management, snow removal, transportation planning, urban design/placemaking
posted by Richard Layman @ 8:26 PM&Permanent Link
9 Comments:
Reddit thread on conditions on the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
MBT Condition
https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/s/JlVXfPpJLK
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/01/09/dc-area-school-closings-snow-winter-storm-aftermath/
Why were so many D.C.-area schools still closed Thursday? Blame the ice.
Extended school closures have left children gleeful and parents frustrated that the region is not better equipped to bounce back from wintry weather.
Businesses that didn’t shovel
https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/s/bl1b0L8qCf
Great photo of a person on the Key Bridge sidewalk. Not clear if there is regular snow clearance there.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/186222493@N05/54254379854
Great photos within about the icy intersection at 15th and S. Hayes Streets in Arlington.
https://www.arlnow.com/2025/01/09/snow-and-ice-plague-arlington-sidewalks-three-days-after-storm/
Snow and ice plague Arlington sidewalks three days after storm
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/people-with-mobility-issues-struggle-to-navigate-sidewalks-as-cities-rush-to-clear-snow/article_0feecb00-90e1-5680-a8b8-3781220ca34e.html
People with mobility issues struggle to navigate sidewalks as cities rush to clear snow
2/20 was Salt Lake City's winter bike to work day.
https://www.slc.gov/transportation/mb2wd/
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/the-magic-of-the-snow-is-gone-now-were-left-with-unplowed-streets-dog-yellowed/article_9268841a-f39f-11ef-ac2d-3beabb322a79.html
The magic of the snow is gone. Now we’re left with unplowed streets, dog-yellowed piles and road salt in our hair
This is no city to be disabled in. We know that from the rarity of people in wheelchairs on the subways. But people with wheelchairs, walkers and walking sticks remain stuck at home, too fearful to balance on sidewalk snow turned to cement by traffic and weather that wiggles between melting and freezing.
People with poor balance couldn’t even risk getting on the bus. Everywhere in Toronto huge snowbanks encased cars like Styrofoam forms in boxes. Anecdotally, people came to emergency rooms with broken ankles, wrists and arms, concussions and classic heart attacks caused by overconfident individual shovelling.
But we thought the city would deal with it. It was unable to, having contracted out snow-clearing to the private sector to save money, even though cheapest is not always best.
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https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/why-cant-toronto-remove-snow-like-montreal-the-answers-may-surprise-you/article_b3cfbbbe-f007-11ef-a5a0-f7f98bbe3601.html
Why can’t Toronto remove snow like Montreal? The answers may surprise you
Plowing comes first. This is when crews clear right-of-ways with machines by shoving snow off to the side and creating snowbanks. This was done on most major roads within three days after Sunday’s storm.
Removing the snow is a separate, tedious process. It involves machines swallowing and spitting out the snow (or ice they’re grinding) into an assembly of dump trucks to haul away to storage and melter sites. This is the part that started Wednesday and city officials said could take up to three weeks.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/no-wonder-its-taking-so-long-to-clear-the-snow-we-planned-it-that-way/article_dd481d28-f06c-11ef-a279-e707c7d68c4d.html
Here’s my point: none of this is new, or even particularly unexpected.
Why? A city report from just last year gets to the point directly. “Current Council-approved service levels do not account for major snow events, therefore the levels do not set a feasible response time for a storm of the magnitude last experienced in January 2022.” These major snow events, it says, happen approximately every two years. That report goes on to suggest an annual review “to ensure lessons learned from each major snow event drive continuous improvement year over year.” Well, we now have another data point for the next report.
But you can interpret that line, about council-approved service levels, as a pre-emptive explanation for why a three-week timeline for snow removal might be considered adequate. The city can either budget to deal with major snow events, or it can sit and complain about the effects of them for weeks, over and over again.
I think, given the scale of disruption that happens each time — particularly to people with disabilities and seniors, but also to the city’s economy at large — we ought to invest in being prepared for a quicker response. Certainly a fleet of tow trucks authorized to clear streetcar tracks first and ask questions later. Likely more snow removal equipment on hand and able to be mobilized more quickly. A better plan to far more quickly clear banks on street corners and at transit stops.
But admittedly, that costs money. It’s a decision our city council needs to make based on the feelings of residents. Maybe those residents, all things considered, might feel the status quo is fine. But if so, one feeling they shouldn’t have next time this happens is surprise.
Annual Winter Maintenance Report
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-246830.pdf
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