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Kirsten Wesselhoeft submitting comments re: the snow removal ordinance.
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To the Honorable Board:
My name is Kirsten Wesselhoeft and I am a resident of Ward 7 in Somerville. I recently heard that there would be a public hearing on snow removal regulations on February 25th, before the Board of Aldermen's Committee on Legislative Matters. I would very much like to attend but will not be able to due to work obligations (and the challenge of getting to City Hall by bus from my workplace, even if I could get out early). I am sharing my thoughts with you by email in the hopes that they might be communicated to the committee and taken into account.
First, I want to express my appreciation to the City of Somerville for the hard work its representatives and employees have been doing over the past few weeks of unprecedented weather. I spend a fair amount of time walking and traveling by bus through Cambridge, Arlington, and Medford as well as Somerville, and it seems that Somerville is doing an excellent job compared with its neighboring cities.
I also want to express my sincere appreciation for this year's new snow removal ordinances, and my deep concern that they are not, in practice, being enforced and may even be rolled back. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO STAND BY THE NEW ORDINANCES, AND TO ACTUALLY BEGIN ENFORCING THEM, FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL OF US.
Like many of my fellow Somerville residents, I commute by foot, bus, and T every day and do not own a car. I am also 8+ months pregnant, and in a few short weeks will be trying to navigate Somerville sidewalks with a newborn. Most of my neighbors have made a good effort at clearing their sidewalks, and as long as I am very careful, I can make it through 80% of the sidewalks in my area without danger on the day after a storm.
There are some residents, however, who continue to wantonly ignore the regulations on shoveling. There are several properties on my daily commute who did not touch their sidewalks for weeks after the first storm (except to create access from their front door to their own car), and at least one property where the sidewalk is still, as of today, blocked by a now over-6' snow drift. I, along with everyone else who walks down North Street in the evenings, am forced to walk in the street for part of the way. As you know, North St. is busy with two-way traffic, especially at rush hour (which in the evening is after dark), and this is an extremely dangerous situation for myself, my soon to be born child, and all the other parents and children I see making this trip every day. I have reported these properties more than once to Somerville 311, with photo documentation of the problems, but the situation has not improved. This is in large part due to the generous extensions of the shoveling timetable, so that the windows of potential enforcement seem to be reduced to one or two afternoons a week.
WITHOUT MEANINGFUL PENALTIES FOR DELINQUENT SNOW REMOVAL THAT ARE ACTUALLY ENFORCED BY THE CITY IN A TIMELY FASHION, THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WILL NEVER CHANGE. Every day that the city extends a generous extension to residents responsible for shoveling is another day that those of us who depend on clear sidewalks to get to work, the grocery store, daycare, etc. are putting ourselves at risk by walking in the street. My household is also responsible for snow removal on our property, so I do understand that it is tiring and challenging work to do at the end (or beginning) of an already long day. I know that most people do their best, and I'm not even asking for the city to start enforcing the 42" clearance regulation, which is not really possible with this amount of snow, although I do wonder how strollers and wheelchairs are supposed to get around otherwise! However, a minimum of passage does need to be created, and 10 am on the day following a storm is a _very_ reasonable amount of time to allow, balancing the diverse needs and situations of all of the city's residents.
I hope you are able to communicate my point of view to the Committee on Legislative Matters, and that they will remember the situation of their many constituents who rely on at least minimally passable sidewalks for their daily safety. WHILE MOST SOMERVILLE RESIDENTS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, THE SMALL NUMBER WHO WILL ONLY BE MOTIVATED BY HEAVY FINES AND SANCTIONS NEED TO HEAR THAT THE CITY WILL ACTUALLY ENFORCE ITS POLICIES ON A TIMETABLE THAT FACILITATES THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF ITS WHOLE POPULATION.
Thank-you so much for taking the time to read and consider my message.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Wesselhoeft