STEP BY slippery STEP
On many sidewalks of Boston, an icy peril lurks underfoot
Two days after a modest mix of snow and rain fell on Boston, pedestrians continued their careful, flat-footed shuffle across icy walkways on Thursday, even in the shadow of City Hall.
Outside the Government Center MBTA Station, a large sheet of rough ice covered almost the entire sidewalk at the corner of Cambridge and Court streets. The walkways just outside the station’s doors were mostly clear of ice, but only for about 10 to 20 feet.
Tom Corbett, 43, somehow managed to save himself from falling as one foot slid out from under him outside the station. A military veteran who is disabled, Corbett said he has lived on and off at the veterans home downtown over the past 10 years.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this bad up here,” he said.
“It’s absolute negligence.”
Mike Arroyo, 84, of Jamaica Plain, clutched a folder of papers to his chest as he headed toward City Hall. After crossing Cambridge Street, he avoided the sidewalk altogether in favor of the bike lane in the street, which was clear of ice.
“Look at these people,” he said, motioning toward others as they stepped cautiously across the ice. “Someone is going to fall and break a bone . ... The city should take care of this better.”
Residents across Boston have been sounding the alarm about unsafe walkways since temperatures plunged overnight Wednesday, freezing the slush and rain left by Tuesday’s storm. The city’s 311 hot line, where residents can report non-emergency problems such as broken street lamps and potholes, has received numerous reports about icy and unshoveled sidewalks.
Treacherous conditions have also been found at commuter rail platforms. One 311 report from Tuesday evening showed the platform at Ruggles
Station covered in slush before it froze overnight. An MBTA spokesperson said crews cleared the platform on Wednesday afternoon.
At Blue Hill Avenue Station in Mattapan, where three commuter lines make stops, the platform sparkled with ice Wednesday before a worker for Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail, was dispatched to throw down salt.
A Keolis spokesperson, Alana Westwater, said crews “have been working around the clock to address the impacts of the recent winter weather, from ensuring that trains and equipment can safely operate to re
moving snow and deicing at commuter rail stations.” Westwater said riders who encounter ice or other hazards on commuter rail platforms can report it by calling 617-222-3200.
Outside Government Center, it’s not clear where the MBTA’s responsibility for snow removal ends and the city’s begins. An MBTA spokesperson said the area is “a shared space between the MBTA and the City of Boston with areas of responsibility for each.”
“We are in communication with the city regarding this shared space with both teams working collaboratively to clear this area as quickly and safely as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Ricardo Patrón, a spokesman for Mayor Michelle Wu’s office, said the sidewalk was cleared Thursday afternoon.
“This particular area is our responsibility,” Patrón said.
“The property management team has addressed it internally and is going to work to ensure this doesn’t happen again for future storms.”
Under Boston’s municipal code, property owners are required to clear snow, ice, and sleet from sidewalks and curb
‘Someone is going to fall and break a bone.’
MIKE ARROYO, on the situation outside the MBTA Government Center Station
ramps abutting their property within three hours after it stopped snowing, or within three hours of sunrise if the storm arrived overnight.
Commercial property owners can be fined $200 if they fail to remove snow and ice from a sidewalk, while residential property owners can be fined $50 or $100 depending on the number of units in their building, according to the city’s website. The violations are issued by the city’s Public Works Department.
For the ice along the sidewalk outside Government Center
Station, the city issued a violation and $200 fine against itself, according to Patrón, who shared a copy of the notice with the Globe.
“It’s an accountability mechanism to hold ourselves accountable to the same rules that apply to all property owners across the city, public and private,” Patrón said.
The fee will be paid by the city’s Property Management Department, which is responsible for maintaining City Hall Plaza, Patrón said.
Residents had complained about the situation at Government
Center for a while. Shortly after noon on Wednesday, a report alerted the city that the sidewalk in front of the subway station was “covered in ice.” The report was accompanied by three pictures showing the walkway covered in frozen footprints.
On Thursday morning, another person pleaded for the city to address the problem.
“Ice covered sidewalks and plaza area in front of city hall and Government Center t-station TWO DAYS after the snow/ rain,” the description read. “Someone is going to get seriously injured trying to go to or from city hall. C’mon, do better. Please fix this.”