Good evening. I’m Margaret Johnson, Director of Bike Walk Tompkins. I’m speaking tonight on behalf of our newly formed Coalition for Snow-free Sidewalks & Crosswalks (SSC). Thank you, Chair Cantelmo, for your initiative to look for ways to improve Ithaca’s snow clearing for pedestrians. I’m here to express our support for your efforts, and to ask for your help in getting the information we need to move forward. We’ve all just lived through another Ithaca winter. We’ve all just discovered -- one more time -- that getting around on foot or in a wheelchair or by bike after a snowstorm is very difficult in many parts of the City. Uncleared sidewalks are a big problem. Blockages where the sidewalk meets the crosswalk are the worst.
Our Coalition has formed to support the City clearing snow from pedestrian ways more effectively. In particular, we believe clearing crosswalks end-to-end is key, and that DPW’s job of clearing the streets is not complete until the crosswalks are clear. A bit more about our Coalition: The Finger Lakes Independence Center speaks for people with disabilities who rely on cleared sidewalks and crosswalks for full access to our community. The Tompkins County Office for the Aging speaks for older adults who may have disabilities or mobility issues. Bike Walk Tompkins points out that access to safe walking, biking and rolling are crucial for healthy living, transportation equity and meeting the City’s Green New Deal goals. Eric Lerner’s Ithaca Pedestrian Snow Project notes that clearing Ithaca’s sidewalks and crosswalks in winter is a solvable problem.
Better clearing of snow from walkways would benefit every Ithacan. To get things started, we are seeking potential funding sources for a pilot project showing how this could be solved, and to help develop a proposal for the 2023 City budget. To do that, we need clear information. We hope the CA committee can help get that information in a timely way. Our most immediate question is this – Apparently, when DPW clears streets, the crosswalks are not cleared end-to-end. What action by the Mayor and Council would be needed for DPW to clear the entire crosswalk wherever it clears the street?
We have a number of related questions about sidewalk clearing and enforcement of the current law about snow removal on sidewalks. A fuller set of questions is online at:
http://www342.pair.com/elerner/snow/Questions.pdf
We hope you will put this issue on the agenda for the CA committee’s April 26 meeting, and we thank you in advance. During the coming month, we’ll be encouraging our members, and other Ithacans, to let you know their thoughts. Clearing our walkways in winter is an essential step to make Ithaca a walkable, roll-able, livable community for everyone who crosses streets in winter.
On behalf of them, and of the Coalition for Snow-free Sidewalks & Crosswalks, we THANK YOU.