Well, this one snuck up on us and our old friend Boston Yeti! We have about 6″ of snow on the ground here from yesterday’s winter weather event, so we are calling our forces out onto the snowy streets to clear bus stops and curb ramps for our neighbors. As has been the case, if you send us pix of the clearing you’ve done, we will send you back $10 in Rozzie Bucks as a reward and heartfelt thank you. Send pix to matthew.j.lawlor@nullgmail.com. Thanks!!!
UPDATE: The snow came late and it did make things look wintry (finally), but it’s definitely below 4″ (10 cm) here at WUR Snow Clearance Collaborative HQ, so we will not be officially calling out our forces. Still, it looks like we have something like 3″ (7.5 cm), so help out your neighbors if you see some trouble spots that require clearing. Thanks all!
Well, the forecasters and our old friend the Boston Yeti (who hasn’t been seen in these parts since early 2022) indicate that we may well have clearable snow (i.e., 4″ (10 cm) or more of the white stuff) with the coastal storm that is anticipated to start late tonight and last most of the day tomorrow. Accordingly, we are putting our snow collaborative forces ON ALERT and asking that everyone who can, please be ready to pick up a shovel and safely, calmly, and with maximum dignity clear out a bus stop, a curb ramp, or a critical pedestrian or cycle path wherever in Roslindale they may be, then send us a picture of the dug out location(s) at matthew.j.lawlor@nullgmail.com, and we’ll be happy to give you our deepest thanks and work with our friends at Roslindale Village Main Street to get you a $10 coupon to the Roslindale Square business of your choice. Thanks everybody and stay tuned!
We sent a letter and gave live testimony this week at a City Council committee hearing on sidewalk snow clearance (more background from Streetsblog Mass). Our full comment letter is below, you can also watch the entire 2+ hour video, or just jump to City Councillor Matt O’Malley’s shout-out to WalkUP Roslindale or WalkUP Roslindale member Matt Lawlor’s testimony toward the end of the hearing. In brief, sidewalk snow clearance is critical to better walkability in Boston and our current system is completely broken. Read on for more.
We have snow falling again this evening and we are accordingly calling out our forces again – If we hit 4″ (10cm), please do what you can to clear out bus stops, crosswalk ramps, and other paths for our neighbors. If you make it out and get it done, send us before and after pictures (email Matt at mlawlor@nullrc.com) and make yourself eligible for $10 in Rozzie Bucks from our good friends and sponsors at Roslindale Village Main Street. Thanks everyone!
We have snow falling again this afternoon and though it isn’t yet sticking on the motor vehicle travel lanes of our streets, it does appear to be accumulating on sidewalks and other paths. We are accordingly calling out our forces again – If we hit 4″ (10cm), please do what you can to clear out bus stops, crosswalk ramps, and other paths for our neighbors. If you make it out and get it done, send us before and after pictures (email Matt at mlawlor@nullrc.com) and make yourself eligible for $10 in Rozzie Bucks from our good friends and sponsors at Roslindale Village Main Street. It is worth noting that we here at WalkUP Roslindale are aware that there is an ongoing debate and plenty of advocacy ground to cover as to how priorities are set and how we as a city clear snow and ice. We acknowledge that this collaborative is barely scratching the surface of what is needed. But we think we have to start somewhere and take action.
Friends, yes, we are lined up for some significant snowfall this afternoon/evening and overnight tonight. And so, once the snow has stopped flying, we are calling out all of our WalkUP Roslindale Snow Clearance Collaborative Version 4.2 forces in a virtual, socially distanced way to don a face covering, pick up a shovel, and safely and calmly dig out a bus stop, a curb ramp, or a neglected sidewalk or bike lane wherever in Roslindale they may be, then send us a picture of the dug out locations at mlawlor@nullrc.com. We’ll be happy to give you our deep, undying thanks and connect you with $10 in Rozzie Bucks from Roslindale Village Main Street as a reward. Thanks!