Days after a snowfall, the curb and sidewalk in front of an Aldi grocery store is completely blocked, dirt-filled, icy topped snow two feet high packed against the bordering concrete wall. The snow is piled out onto the street, leaving only enough room for cars. There is no room for people to walk or use any assistance device like wheelchairs or walkers.

This is clearly a snow removal negligence problem. If snow and ice is not melted properly, then many elderly and disabled are at risk of injuring themselves, or not being able to move at all.

In Springfield, the burden of snow removal on pedestrian walkways like sidewalks and curbs falls mostly on  property owners and regular people. This ordinance is enforced by the government and police, and as of now allows lots of neglect from citizens. Not only is it a people problem, but also the lack of new policies and legislation that might create a more efficient snow removal system.

In 2019, after two snowstorms in a row, citizens complained about the unsatisfactory snow removal job done. Councilor Orlando Ramos, who is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 9th Hampden district, offered a proposal. It would be a proactive way to help disabled and the elderly clear the snow from their property. Using the money made in fines to able-bodied people as a result of not clearing their sidewalk, the government would clear the sidewalks and pavement in front of elderly and disabled residences.

“Shoveled, uncleared sidewalks have become a public safety issue,” Ramos said.

While this would be the kind of ordinance Springfield needs, no word of it actually happening as of now has been heard. 

The plowing part of snow removal is another problem that the government and vehicle-driving citizens are to blame for. To help make plowing easier, Springfield issues parking bans during snowfall for plowing contractors to do their job efficiently. Unfortunately, many people don’t follow the parking bans.

After a snowstorm on January 29, 2022, Springfield citizens once again complained about plowing services taking too long and leaving lots of snow on their roads. Springfield Public Works Director Chris Cignoli said that the roads that have snow and slush on them after plowing are due to people not following the parking ban. 

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s neighborhoods that have cars on the street where we have the issues,” Cignoli said. The police and tow trucks can only tow so many people, Cignoli said.

Some people don’t seem to agree, however, that Springfield is doing their best at enforcement.

Barbara, who didn’t want to give her full name, is an elderly woman in my neighborhood who struggles to walk through the snow and ice. She has fallen on icy sidewalks before, once keeping her from walking normally and straining herself for weeks after.

“Last year I slipped. I couldn’t tell the difference [between the road and sidewalk] because of the unshoveled road and sidewalk,” Barbara says.

While the majority of people use cars to do their daily errands, Barbara is one of those who has to walk to her stores and appointments most of the time. It is important for her to be able to walk, but icy sidewalks leave her hesitant to even leave her house during winter months.

“There should be more repercussions for people who don’t shovel. it might be too late for the elderly who could die from a fall. They should enforce it more,” said Barbara when asked whether she thinks Springfield is doing the best they can to enforce snow removal.

Barbara’s doctors have told her that if she falls again and lands in an awkward position, she could suffer permanent damage, impairing her ability to walk.

A solution to better snow removal is to have the government create better policies and spend more resources on enforcing parking bans. Policies like the one proposed by Ramos need to be created and enforced, along with having the public awareness of parking bans increased as a result of parking ban enforcement. 

In Manchester, police struggle with ticketing and towing vehicles that violate the parking ban because so many people are still parking and are not aware of it. They also don’t have enough officers assigned to ticketing and towing.

The Board of Alderman, the governing body of the city, agree that they need to give out more tickets and better enforce parking bans. Springfield has this same type of problem and should follow their example.

Most people think that having the streets plowed is essential while having the sidewalks done is a nice extra. They don’t think that it should be the government’s responsibility, however, public safety is one of their main duties, and the minority shouldn’t have to suffer to save the city’s budget.

The city’s snow removal system can be changed by supporting new legislation, and reaching out to government officials can help speed up the process. In the meantime however, all able bodied people should keep up with their responsibility to shovel their own sidewalks, obey parking bans, and offer to help shovel any elderly or disabled people’s driveway.