We need to talk. About snow

 

1st Ave and 13trh St SE

Snow and ice can mess up any way of getting around, but in most northern cities the streets are cleared pretty quickly. Sidewalks are up to the property owner, but most eventually get done. A huge, persistent problem, however, is the snow that street plows pile up by the sidewalk.

1st Av and 13th St SE

I'm not here to narc on my neighbors, or to hate on my city, just to point out that there needs to be a way for people to cross the street. These pictures were taken more than 72 hours after the most recent snowfall, but some of this snow has been here since the end of December. (This far north, snow once on the ground stays on the ground until spring, because the air rarely gets warm enough to melt it.)

2nd Avenue and 13th Street SE

I didn't have to work to find these pictures. I just walked home from work. All of these intersections are within one mile of each other. It's not special in any way... just a typical mile in a typical northern city whose development is typically sprawled.

2nd Avenue and 14th Street SE

Some of these intersections are not difficult for an able-bodied person, but would be a challenge for someone who is at all physically impaired, or pushing a stroller, or a small child.

2nd Avenue and 14th Street SE

2nd Avenue and 15th Street SE

Some of these mountains are a challenge to anyone no matter how fit.

2nd Avenue and 15th Street SE

2nd Avenue and Park Court SE

2nd Avenue and 16th Street SE

2nd Avenue and 16th Street SE

3rd Avenue, 17th Street, and Blake Boulevard SE

3rd Avenue and 19th Street SE

3rd Avenue and Nassau Street SE

I don't have an solution, but there needs to be one--for equity, for all the reasons walkable cities are desirable.

We're expecting more snow tomorrow.

SEE ALSO: Minnesota Department of Transportation, "Sidewalk Snow Clearing Guide" (May 2018), especially page 14. They have three suggestions for "snow windrows" as depicted here. [Thanks to John F. Thomas for alerting me to this.]