Crosswalks remain covered in snow, even as the city issues hundreds of violations to private property owners.
City officials are asking New Yorkers to be patient as workers continue to clear snow from pedestrian pathways, but the city remains an obstacle course in the days following the weekend winter storm. That's a hassle and a safety risk for many New Yorkers, but can be an insurmountable challenge for older and disabled residents in particular, according to seniors and the professionals who work with them.
“Normally, we have the help of warmer weather melting the snow,” Julia Kerson, the deputy mayor of operations, said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We do not have that.” More than a foot of snow and sleet fell in some parts of the city Sunday. Freezing temperatures for the remainder of the week mean much of it will stick around. Kerson asked New Yorkers for “just a little bit of patience” as workers continue to clear crosswalks throughout the rest of the week. Private property owners are required to shovel their own sidewalks, including paths to crosswalks if they’re on the corner, or risk being fined. But many crosswalks throughout the city remained blocked by mounds of snow on Tuesday. Some were cleared on just one side, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street. Others had narrow walkways carved out by foot traffic.City officials said they’ve issued 400 violations so far and expect to hand out tickets throughout the week. The city and state are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks on their own properties —Williamsburg resident Claire Vitto said she noticed the irregularity of snow clearance on her walk to McCarren Park on Tuesday morning. "I can get from my house to the grocery store without a problem, but I was going to go to the park and you have to kind of avoid the parts of the sidewalk that are not privately business-owned,” she said. “I haven't been unable to get around, but I was thinking that, like it's nice, I'm very able-bodied. … I can climb over the snow.” City officials said that as of early Tuesday morning, DOT contractors had cleared 75% of bus shelters and that the Department of Sanitation is overseeing 1,000 staffers clearing sidewalks and freestanding bus stops.Riders in Ridgewood waited for the B38 bus in the street because a mound of snow covered the spot where they'd usually stand. And in Bushwick, June Robinson was returning to her job at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center from a breakfast run Tuesday morning when she gave up on using a slushy, snowy crosswalk and used a nearby cleared driveway to get to the street instead. “As you see just now, we have to move from one area to the next before we fall into the puddle that's still there from the snow runoff,” she said. Andrés Orejuela took his frustration to social media, where he replied to a Department of Transportation post with his concern about a pedestrian bridge on 145th Street connecting Manhattan and the Bronx.The snow can be especially challenging for those with mobility issues, said Jeff Peters, a spokesperson for the Center for Independence of the Disabled. “For many people who have the ability to walk through that, that can be an inconvenience, but they can overcome it. For others who may use crutches or rollators or a manual wheelchair or a motorized wheelchair or any other mobility device, that can be a situation that is not only an inconvenience but impassable, where they cannot continue wherever it is they were going,” he said. Many people who live in Encore Community Service’s residence for older adults in Midtown had similar experiences, according to Autrice Wildman, director of Encore’s Lifelong Learning Center. “We had a member that … literally went outside the front door and turned back around, and was just defeated by the snow,” Wildman said. “We had some members that got to the corner and we're like, OK, we're going to do this, and then the mounds are so high.” Rita Cabrera, a 71-year-old who lives in the older adult community, said she was on her way to a nearby Target when she had to give up and buy food at a corner bodega instead due to the blocked crosswalks, which made navigating the streets with her cart difficult. “It was slippery, there was a moment where I got scared, especially getting onto the sidewalks,” she said. “I let everyone pass me because I’m old.”Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? EmailIn October, White House officials announced they'd pause funding for the project following the government shutdown. Now, a Trump administration spokesperson is tying the ongoing stoppage to Democrats' support of "illegal aliens."Because it's one of the few shows on Broadway making big bucks, here are your afternoon links: Pumpernickel bagels are out, street corners are impossible to walk through, being ugly is fine and more.Because it's one of the few shows on Broadway making big bucks, here are your afternoon links: Pumpernickel bagels are out, street corners are impossible to walk through, being ugly is fine and more.Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.
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