HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-22 Public Comment - M. Egge - this town is tough to walk inFrom:Mark Egge
To:Agenda
Subject:this town is tough to walk in
Date:Thursday, February 17, 2022 9:43:38 AM
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City Commissioners and Members of the Transportation Board:
While driving on Rouse Avenue this morning for an early-morning ski tour,I passed someone walking into traffic on the street. The reason was
obvious: the street had been plowed and offered smooth walking. The
sidewalk (in the stretch between city hall and the nearest private property)
was piled two feet deep in snow. The street, truly, was the only reasonableplace to walk.
Many sections of sidewalk around town frequently do not get cleared. On
any given block, there's usually at least one segment that is treacherousto cross because it hasn't been shoveled all winter. 90% of city residents
are good about clearing their walks. 10% are not. Bozeman code requires
all property owners to clear the walk in front of their properties. The city
does not proactively enforce its code and therefore goes largelyunenforced. This is a policy choice. You all are empowered to choose
differently.
MDT, of course, is a prime offender. MDT does not clear the sidewalkswithin its right of way. The city can blame MDT and consign pedestrians to
walk in the street. Or, the city can take proactive action and clear these
sidewalks itself. Again, this is a policy choice within your domain and
purview.
Of the city's existing maintenance budget for snow removal, what is the
split between the budget for plowing roads to promote the ease of travel
for cars versus the budget for clearing sidewalks and shared use paths topromote the ease of travel for pedestrians and cyclists? How does this
budget split align with the city's transportation goals? Which or modes is
the city trying to promote and encourage more of?
I have two asks of you that would make Bozeman an easier place to walk
in the winter:
1) Enforce your code—proactively. In many cases, I'm certain that asimple nudge from the city (a notice, possibly with a list of firms availablefor hire) would be sufficient to motivate neighbors to do the right thing.
This means enforcing both the snow removal code, and the code requiring
property owners to remove overgrown bushes and low hanging branchesthat crowd out the sidewalk.
2) Allocate winter maintenance dollars to clearing the sidewalks and paths
that don't get cleared otherwise. This includes the city's paths, and likelywill also include sidewalks along MDT's right of way (Rouse, East Main,
etc.).
If we can make Bozeman a better place to walk or bike in the winter, morepeople will choose to walk or bike. If we make it difficult to walk and easy
to drive (with our maintenance decisions), more people will drive. This is a
policy decision and I believe warrants your consideration and action.
Thanks for your consideration,
Mark Egge
542 N Black AveBozeman, MT 59715