Keeping sidewalks, bus stops clear requires a united effort

This winter has brought the two of us together in co-misery. As a wheelchair user, Jennifer must rely on public transportation. As a non-wheelchair user, Nicole has a choice of bussing, walking, biking and driving. However, like many Boulder residents, both of us try to avoid unnecessary travel when there is snow and ice on the ground. This winter has been particularly challenging in that regard due to the volume and persistence of snow.

Recently, Jennifer missed a very important doctor’s appointment because her power chair couldn’t drive through the snow on the sidewalk to reach the bus stop. Even when the sidewalks are clear, in heavy snow busses frequently cannot lower their ramps because snowplows push snow on the streets in front of bus stops.

There are approximately 550 bus stops in the Boulder city limits, and current committed and volunteer resources allow for snow removal at approximately 20% of bus stops in Boulder.

RTD manages snow removal at 57 stops in the city, and the city contracts for snow removal at an additional 38 stops that average 50+ daily boardings/alightings. The city’s shovel-a-stop program takes care of approximately 20 additional stops.

Boulder has 665 miles of road and 36 miles of city multi-use paths. When snow hits, the city, county and state (CDOT) clear approximately 67% of those roadways and 100% of the city multi-use paths. The highest frequency roads cleared are emergencyrelated roads (e.g., main routes to hospitals or highways into/out of town).

The secondary roads cleared are mostly related to school bus routes. As time allows, additional roads are cleared that are particularly steep.

Keeping every road, sidewalk, path and bus stop cleared given Boulder’s intermittent weather would take far more staff and resources than the city, county, state and RTD have, or than taxpayers would be willing to fund. However, the current situation can make our transportation system inaccessible in inclement weather not just for wheelchair users like Jennifer but also for those who use strollers, push carts, bikes and busses to get around town.

As we deal with climate change, storms have become — and will continue to become — more violent and more frequent. We believe the solution to accessible transportation during the climate crisis is not demanding more from agencies that do not have the resources to give more, but rather coming together as a community to keep each other safe during and following inclement weather.

We already see people in our city using their time and resources to keep more of us safe during and after storms. Chase Cromwell, a CU student, purchased an ice scraper so he could remove packed ice from a bus stop near his home and give his neighbors safe access to their nearest bus stop. Rather than simply complaining about the lack of snow removal, he got to work helping his neighbors access their bus stop.

He has since signed up for the city’s shovel-a-stop program to regularly keep two bus stops clear during and after snowstorms.

What if those of us who could do so took this step of keeping nearby bus stops, walkways and curb cuts accessible?

After the isolation of the past few years, we could all benefit from the opportunity to connect with our neighbors again, whether it is clearing bus stops, coordinating neighborhood volunteers to remove snow for neighbors whose lives or physical limitations make snow removal challenging, or simply saying “thank you” to the city, county, regional and state workers who do incredible work with very limited resources to keep as many of our roads and paths clear as humanly possible.

As we have shown time and again during recent floods, fires and global pandemics, keeping each other safe takes a community effort.

Our world will not get easier in the coming decades, nor will additional resources appear without substantial investment.

Our collective safety in the face of the climate disaster is going to require all of us to commit to each other, and to our mutual success.

Jennifer Ochs is a disability rights activist and was recently named Ms. Wheelchair Colorado for 2023. Nicole Speer is a member of Boulder City Council and is writing in her personal capacity. Find more details about snow removal and sign up for the city’s Shovel-astop program at https:// bouldercolorado.gov/ services/snow-and-iceremoval.