Residents express mixed feelings about the city’s snow-removal efforts 

Residents have mixed opinions over the city’s handling of snow removal, with some criticizing the slippery sidewalks and unshoveled passageways that remain long after the snowfall has stopped.

“I would say my pet peeve is that not every home shovels their sidewalk, and the biggest offenders are places with landlords who aren’t having it done,” said resident Anne Bidner.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) plows the city’s roadways and clears certain sidewalks during “significant snowfall,” according to its website. It prioritizes clearing snow from areas around schools.

The city also has a snow removal ordinance, passed in 2022, which requires owners of land with three or more residential units or land located in any business, commercial or industrial district to remove snow and ice from sidewalks that border their property and make pathways on the sidewalks at least 36 inches wide.

Violators of this ordinance are subject to a $100 DPW fine that increases with each additional violation.

This ordinance exempts owners of land containing a single or two-family home from this rule.

Ward 9 Councilor Robert G. Logan blamed the ordinance for the snowy state of the city’s sidewalks.

“It leaves a patchwork of sidewalks done and not. I think it’d be more efficient if the city just did the sidewalk plowing,” Logan said.

But Logan also acknowledged that the DPW has a limited capacity to clear all sidewalks, given its need to focus on the routes students use to walk to school.

Eamon Dawes, a 2023 candidate for City Council, also voiced concerns over the patchwork nature of clearing snow from sidewalks and other areas in the city.

Those concerns prompted Dawes to take action earlier this month: He shoveled the snow from the walking paths at the Peter Gilmore Playground on Hall Street, noting that the winter hardpack made for “icy and pretty perilous walking through there.”

Yuen Kwan, another resident, said she thinks the city should focus on clearing snow from sidewalks in areas that serve as main pedestrian crossings, such as the Moody Street bridge that spans the Charles River.

Kwan said she had noticed that the bridge’s sidewalks hadn’t been cleared following a January snowstorm. She expressed her concern to Logan and said since then the bridge’s sidewalks have been cleared following snowstorms.

The city has taken note of such concerns.

“There are areas we haven’t done in the past that we’re trying to get better at getting to faster,” said DPW Director Micheal Chiasson. He specifically mentioned getting to the sidewalks along the bridge.

That, though, won’t address all the concerns residents have about snow removal in the city.

Some members of the Waltham, MA Residents Facebook group, for example, posted comments saying that they think the city doesn’t adequately enforce the street-parking ban during snow emergencies.

“Hopefully towing will be enforced. People leave cars on my street and don’t care, because it is never enforced,” Lenka Pevitsa, a Waltham resident, commented on a post in the group.

City officials can enact a citywide ban on street parking during snowstorms. This allows trucks to plow the entire width of a street. Cars found on the street are supposed to be towed.

Chiasson said he understands residents’ frustrations, but he said there may be a lack of understanding around how the towing process works and the amount of resources the department has at its disposal.

Chiasson explained that the tow truck companies hired by the city can only spare two trucks during snowstorms and they have a limited number of spots for towed cars within their lots – factors that limit enforcement capabilities.

“It’s a balancing act,” he said.

Residents also get that.

“I’m pretty satisfied. I live on a fairly busy side street off Trapelo. Both Trapelo and my street are plowed regularly,” Marie Daly wrote in a comment on the Waltham, MA Residents Facebook group.

Logan also said that he thinks the city overall does a great job with snow removal.

Meanwhile, Dawes encouraged residents to pitch in to help make getting around the city a little easier during snowy days.

“You don’t have to be in a city truck to help out,” he said. 

You just need a shovel and a bit of physical brawn.