Columbia, MO, tackles snowy sidewalk problem

Snow-covered sidewalks have become an increasingly noticed problem for Missouri pedestrians in the past couple of years. Now the city of Columbia is poised to do something about it.

The City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission has proposed a solution that involves increased attention to highly used sidewalks in a "priority area" of town.  According to the Columbia Missourian:

Man walking in street due to uncleared sidewalks

The ordinance would kick in after 2 or more inches of snow have accumulated or if there is a significant amount of ice or sleet. The director of public works would notify the public via radio and TV announcements and on the city website, and property owners would have 48 hours to clear their sidewalks.

Property owners would also be responsible for applying abrasives, such as sand or salt, to the sidewalks for added safety.

There are 91 miles of sidewalk that have been designated as a priority area, and that includes residential streets. The boundaries of that area are Old 63, Interstate 70 and Stadium Boulevard. These sidewalks run parallel to roads maintained by the city and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Within that area, the commission has designated 36 miles of sidewalk as having higher priority. The high-priority sidewalks are those that are next to main roads, Heise said. These sidewalks are among the most likely to get covered in slush when the roads are plowed, he said.

As we have pointed out before, almost all Missouri cities and towns already have laws in place requiring homeowners to clear and maintain the sidewalks adjoining their property.  These laws are common across the U.S. and work well in places that commonly have snow--in those places, sidewalks are almost universally kept usable as each homeowner pitches in and does a small part of the work.

What makes it work in those places is not some high level of enforcement, but the fact that homeowners and property owners see clearing sidewalks is a regular part of their civic duty and part of what makes their community work, just as with mowing lawns and other ordinary property maintenance.  (Though plenty of enforcement does happen, as a quick google search will confirm.)

But in Missouri, with only an occasional snowfall serious enough to require homeowners to clear the sidewalks, these ordinances have been almost universally ignored.

Columbia's solution--still in the draft phase--could inspire other Missouri cities to address this serious safety problem.

Creating (and maintaining!) a world class transportation system for bicycling and walking is one of the four key objectives of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.