Chicago could eventually be responsible for clearing at least some city sidewalks in winter, after aldermen advanced a proposal that could lead to a sidewalk snowplow pilot program.
Under the proposal, which moved forward Friday, a working group will recommend guidelines for a sidewalk plowing pilot program, which will then be subject to City Council approval. Earlier versions of the proposal would have formally created the pilot program, but aldermen ultimately passed the watered-down version in part because some raised concerns about the number of factors that remained unknown, like the cost of the program and the location of pilot zones.
Under current city rules, clearing sidewalks when they are snowy or icy is the responsibility of property owners. Advocates have urged the city to take on that duty, saying inconsistent clearing by owners leaves patches of snow and ice on sidewalks that make it hard for people to get to transportation, jobs, stores and other elements of city life. They say uncleared sidewalks are especially challenging for those with disabilities, who are elderly, or parents of young children in strollers.
“(Sidewalks are) universal transportation,” said Alex Nelson, with the advocacy coalition Better Streets Chicago. “And it needs to be treated with the same care and thoughtfulness that we put toward our roads and our trains and our other systems of transport we have in the city.”
Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who sponsored the proposal, and advocates hailed the move to create a working group as a victory. Villegas, 36th, said the working group was a fair compromise and would allow the city departments that would be tasked with running the program to have a say in it.
Snowy and icy sidewalks can take an economic toll on the city, he said. They force those who can’t get out of their houses to rely on delivery apps to get food and goods, effectively imposing an “unfair fee” on those stuck inside, he said.
“The loss of economic activity when it snows, it impacts our budget,” he said. “So this is an opportunity to put forward a service that helps seniors, persons with disabilities, parents of children under five, but also helps the city’s economy and our status as a world class city.”
Laura Saltzman, transportation policy analyst for the disability rights group Access Living, which has advocated for the municipal sidewalk clearing program, said the action by aldermen on Friday was a step forward. Impassable sidewalks are the top transportation-related complaint Access Living hears in the winter, she said, and pose a barrier to people being able to go about their daily lives.
Requiring property owners to clear the sidewalks can be a challenge for people who are blind, who use wheelchairs or canes, and residents who are unable to shovel their own sidewalks, she said.
“We are closer to plowing the sidewalks today than we were yesterday,” she said.
Nelson said she was confident a pilot program would ultimately take effect. Better Streets Chicago hopes to be part of the working group outlining the program, she said.
Under the ordinance, the working group will have to make recommendations about the size of the pilot program, the areas included in the pilot, how it will be funded and where labor to clear the sidewalks will come from. The group will make recommendations by May 31, 2024.
Villegas could not provide a cost estimate for the program, saying it would depend on recommendations about its size and scope.
Proponents cited other cities with municipal sidewalk-clearing programs, including Toronto. City crews in the Canadian city clear snow when 2 centimeters or more have fallen, or when it’s icy. Smaller snowfalls remain the responsibility of property owners.
But some aldermen said too much remained unknown for them to authorize moving forward with a pilot program, rather than just a working group to make recommendations about the program. Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, said the program could add up to “millions and millions” of dollars, and more details about how the program would work needed to be determined before the city should move forward with any program.
“While intentions are great and I’m in the program already, I think you’re setting yourselves up to fail, and fail miserably,” he told aldermen. “And if history suggests anything in this city, it’s that people lose elections because of snow.”
The ordinance is set to go before the full City Council Wednesday.
