NYC Needs a Comprehensive Snow-Removal Policy
Yesterday's snowfall – while thankfully not the blizzard that many outlets predicted – served as yet another reminder that New York City lacks a comprehensive system for clearing snow from intersections, crosswalks and catch basins.
While the Department of Sanitation did its usual yeoman's job of plowing and salting the city's streets, too much of that plowed snow ends up creating headaches for pedestrians, and for less able-bodied New Yorkers, dangerous and impassable obstacles.
As LTV Squad's Joseph Anastasio pointed out a year ago, snow removal at intersections falls into a responsibility black hole, and too many property owners skip shoveling their sidewalks because fines are low and enforcement is almost nil. He offers up a plan that largely puts the onus on the citizenry, which may or may not be the best plan – but at least it's a plan! And here are three suggestions from Streetsblog's Ben Fried for improving upon the current situation.
Given its role in creating laws, the City Council needs to tackle this nagging problem head-on. Sign the petition to ask the Council to initiate a comprehensive plan for improving snow removal in New York City.
247 signaturesPetition
To the New York City Council:
New York City needs a comprehensive snow-removal policy!
While the Department of Sanitation does an excellent job of plowing streets, the city has no equivalent process for clearing intersections, crosswalks and catch basins. We've all encountered mountains of snow and ponds of slush when simply trying to cross a street, but what's annoying for the nimble and able-bodied can be dangerous and impossible for the elderly, the disabled, young children or parents pushing strollers. Clear streets are not enough if they can't be crossed by pedestrians!
We, the undersigned, urge the Council's Transportation and Sanitation Committees to craft an overhaul to the laws governing snow removal.
Photo: Joshua Bright for The New York Times
StreetsPoll: July 20, 2016
This morning, TransitCenter, in partnership with Riders Alliance, the Straphangers Campaign and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, issued a new report titled Turnaround: Fixing New York City's Buses.
The report offers a number of smart ideas for fixing New York City's struggling bus network, which has seen a steady decline in ridership one the past few years. Tell us which of the proposed solutions you think is most important, and if you sign up for email updates, too, you could win a StreetsPAC t-shirt.
[Click the image to download a PDF copy of the full report.]
StreetsPoll: April 27, 2016
Last Friday, New York City celebrated it's first car-free Earth Day, pedestrianizing some Manhattan streets and encouraging New Yorkers who typically commute by car to opt for subways, buses, biking, walking, or other alternate transportation modes. City officials vowed that next year's car-free Earth Day would build on the original. Tell us which option would do the most to accomplish that, and if you sign up to receive email updates (you can unsubscribe any time), you'll earn a chance to win a StreetsPAC t-shirt!
