By Maha Aslam and Stacy Thompson, Special to the Reporter
As the days get longer and warmer, it’s easy to forget that just a few weeks ago, Boston was dealing with the aftermath of two major snowstorms. These storms left many residents, especially older adults and people with disabilities, struggling to navigate sidewalks, buried curb ramps, un-shoveled bus stops, and impassable sidewalks. Street crossings were especially challenging, as confusion over responsibility for shoveling often left intersections buried and unattended for days.
LivableStreets has been working on these issues for more than two decades, and the same cycle repeats year after year: We get snow. There are gaps in snow clearance that leave vulnerable people behind. There is justified uproar. We have meetings and hearings where we talk about the need to do better. Then the solutions melt as quickly as the snow.
As the weather clears up, it is so easy to turn our attention to the many other mobility and safety challenges facing our streets and communities, but this is the exact moment to stay focused on planning for and implementing solutions that will meaningfully improve snow clearance next year and every year moving forward.
While climate change can sometimes make winters feel milder, this year has shown that it is also making the weather more unpredictable. Boston must prepare for these extreme conditions instead of assuming that mild winters will be the new normal.
The good news is that Boston does not have to start from scratch. Cities that deal with these challenges more regularly have already developed effective solutions.
Minneapolis, for example, uses data-driven criteria to determine which streets, bus stops, bike lanes, and sidewalks are cleared first, and provides clear parking guidelines online. The City of Boston should similarly adopt its own data-driven approach to snow removal that is rooted in usage (which roads and sidewalks are most used) and equity (who most needs clear roads and sidewalks). This data-driven framework could consider things like:
•Which walking routes serve the most transit-dependent people.
• Where we have higher concentrations of older adults.
• Which transit routes are most used by kids trying to get to school.
• Which routes connect us to essential services.
The city could go a step further and provide real-time data on snow clearance so that people not only know what streets and sidewalks are being prioritized, but also when those priority areas are clean and safe. New York City’s PlowNYC tool allows residents to see when their street has been plowed in near real time, improving transparency and public trust.
Real-time information can also help residents who must remain mobile during storms, such as doctors and other essential workers, better plan their travel during and after a snowstorm.
There are other small steps the city could take to improve sidewalk and intersection clearance. For example, the city could create a process to address internal reporting discrepancies. Sometimes routes are marked as complete when sidewalks and intersections have been reburied or missed completely.
When the city discovers mistakes like this, it’s valuable to have a process in place to understand where the discrepancy occurred, so that they can course correct for the next storm.
And lastly, there is ample opportunity to build on some of the city’s previously piloted efforts to encourage young people and other community members to shovel sidewalks for people who need help.
New York City recently launched a wildly popular city-run emergency snow labor program that hires residents to clear snow during major storms. And Minneapolis has piloted initiatives that provide grants to local organizations to clear snow from sidewalks for seniors and residents in need.
These are just some, but certainly not all, of the options that the City of Boston could explore in the coming months. And the public works department has already shown a willingness and ability to adapt in real time. Snow clearance was markedly better during and after the second major snowfall. Now the city staff have an opportunity to work toward implementing these and other ideas this year – and the City Council has the responsibility to follow up with staff during the hot summer months to make sure that this work stays on track.
The problem has never been that there aren’t solutions. The problem is that it’s hard to follow through when beach weather rolls around. Let’s learn from our past and make real progress toward improving our snow clearance systems this year.
Co-authored by Maha Aslam, program manager at LivableStreets Alliance & Stacy Thompson, former executive director at LivableStreets Alliance.
