After the recent snowstorm in Denver, it became dangerous to move around the city. Some sidewalks were plowed by property owners and the snow eventually turned to ice. Some side roads still have a fair amount of ice and snow. And the bike lanes along the road are a dangerous mess.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, whose term is limited, is unlikely to come up with an innovative solution to solve Denver’s snow infrastructure problems, given that this is his last winter in office. I guess. However, in July, a new mayor took office, and the issue of snow removal has already become a hot topic among mayoral candidates.
Here are some ideas for future Denver mayors to consider.
Figure out sidewalk modifications
Sidewalk snow removal is usually left to the adjacent property owner. But that still doesn’t prevent snow from lingering on parts of Denver’s sidewalk network for days and eventually turning to ice.
“I think it’s time to rethink Denver’s whole approach to snow removal. The idea that the purpose of snow removal is to enable white-collar workers to drive to work is rooted in this 1950s. Denver. Jill Locantore, Executive Director of Street Partnerships, cites walking, biking and rolling as other ways Denverers get around.
Locantore recently completed a successful ballot measure effort to impose a fee on real estate to fund the construction and maintenance of Denver’s sidewalks. But she doesn’t think the city needs a grand plan to find a way to clear the sidewalks. We already have a model to follow.
“We do it here in Denver. We clean the sidewalks in the parks. We decided that was a priority. We can do it elsewhere in the city,” says Locantore, applauding the Denver Parks and Recreation Authority for clearing the park’s sidewalks so quickly after the snowstorm.
Plow Side Street
Denver’s main driveways are usually cleared first, while side streets are ignored. Denver now has side streets that look more like the battle-torn planet of Hoth than the actual streets.
“The wet, heavy snow we received compacted quickly, so the residential plow, which is a 4×4 pick-up truck, is not very useful. ‘ says Nancy. Kuhn, a spokesperson for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said: 例文 The side roads are mostly passable while the snow is accumulating.
Colorado Senator and current Denver mayoral candidate Chris Hansen has already recognized that talking about clearing snow from roads is a popular campaign topic. Hansen tweeted, “The streets don’t clear their own snow, and the city of Denver rarely clears it. For days after every blizzard, vast areas of the city have to fend for themselves. Even if it piles up.” Attached is a photo of the unplowed street with the caption “Priority: He plows the damn road.”
There is Hansen’s precedent focused on unplowed roads. After the great Christmas Eve storm of 1982, Mayor Bill McNichols’ administration did a terrible job of clearing the snow. Voters were outraged for his subsequent 1983 election, which was won by newcomer Federico Peña.
Clear the damn bike path
The City of Denver considers quiet side streets to be part of its bike network, so clearing side streets helps keep bikers as safe as motorists. And it’s clear that getting more people on bikes is the city’s goal, with the Office for Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience announcing a new batch of e-bike rebates later this month. is scheduled to be released.
But even the actual bike paths in Denver’s streets are in terrible condition due to the recent weather.
“There’s this thawing-freezing cycle that causes the icebergs you see in bike lanes,” says Rob Toftnes of the Denver Bike Lobby.
According to DOTI’s Kuhn, the city of Denver “currently uses large pieces of equipment called graders or blades to meet demands for ice removal along bike lanes on roads.”
Toftness points out that Denver’s protected bike lanes (those with barriers between bike lanes and car lanes) are actually cleared of snow by the city.
“We should create more protected bike lanes. [fact that they] Being tilled is another benefit,” he adds.
But before protected bike lanes are built in Denver, someone has to plow the unprotected bike lanes.
Colorado Boulevard and the East Sixth Avenue bus stop remain covered in snow and ice.
Courtesy of Jonathon Stalls
Public transport stops should be made clear
Jonathon Stalls, a walking advocate who chronicles the obstacles and inequalities that non-drivers face every day through his TikTok Pedestrian Dignity account, has been crossing Denver for the past few days to see how people walk and I’ve seen them struggle with snow and ice while waiting. bus.
“These bus stops turn into these giant ice jungle gyms,” says Stalls, noting that snowplows moving through the streets pump more snow in front of the bus stop, where it clogs and turns to ice. .
Some also find the sidewalks that connect people to these RTD stops too dangerous.
“So many people I know who use mobility devices are not out of the house. is real and noisy,” says Stalls.
He wants to put more emphasis on clearing snow and ice from bus stops and sidewalks that connect people to these stops, especially along major public transit corridors like Colorado Boulevard.
“We’ll let you drive over interstates and drive over highways. Do the same for these other modalities,” Stalls says. “At some point, it’s really about off-centering the car.”
