I want a city that keeps getting better and safer, where I can walk and where I have a place to sit down. I don't want to simply preserve recent improvements -- I want more going forward.
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
A. Scott Falk answered
2017-02-02 12:37:08 -0500
Q: Which of these seemingly never-ending annoyances would you most like to see put to rest in 2017? Let us know, 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.
A: Honestly, I wouldn't miss any of them
A: Honestly, I wouldn't miss any of them
StreetsPoll: February 2, 2017
Happy Groundhog Day!
In the film of the same name, Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, keeps living Groundhog Day over and over again. Similarly, residents of New York City concerned about safe streets often wake to find themselves caught in similar time loops.
A. Scott Falk answered
2016-12-30 12:18:07 -0500
Q: Which of the new complete-streets projects in Council Member Ben Kallos's Upper East Side district are you most excited about?
A: The paired crosstown bike lanes on 70th/71st and 77th/78th Streets
A: The paired crosstown bike lanes on 70th/71st and 77th/78th Streets
StreetsPoll December 29, 2016
StreetsPAC will be hosting a fundraiser for Upper East Side City Council Member Ben Kallos on January 10 (details here, please come!), and in anticipation of that event, we're wondering which of several important new complete-streets projects in his district has made the biggest difference to you.
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