If you live in Denver, you ought to be willing to have a close, personal relationship with the business end of a snow shovel — or pay someone else to do so on your behalf.
Snow is part of life in the Rocky Mountain West, a fact driven home by the first accumulations reported Monday from Breckenridge to Estes Park. The first-of-the-season dusting is a reminder of the decidedly dreary but necessary chores that are coming our way soon: sidewalk shoveling and snowplowing.
The Denver City Council soon will consider a set of proposals to revise city policies on these matters. Some are terrific. Some give us pause.
The public works department seems to have learned some hard lessons from last winter’s deluge and has put out a good plan for a so-called “light brigade” of trucks to clear residential streets. This makeshift fleet will operate in tandem with the traditional plowing efforts to clear major roads during big storms. This idea has been aired publicly before and was tried last year. In essence, the city will strap a snowplow to anything that can push one and try to get the snow off side streets before it turns into the dangerous ice ruts we suffered through last winter.
However, we question a proposal that would give Denver residents and businesses up to three days to shovel their sidewalks after a major snowfall. Certainly there are circumstances in which elderly folks and the infirm might not be able to physically or financially handle the chore. And we would hope that volunteers, both organized groups and helpful neighbors, would continue to offer assistance on that count.
It has been “city culture,” said public works manager Bill Vidal, that once snow stops falling, businesses have four hours and residents 24 hours to clear sidewalks before facing a potential city fine.
This is a reasonable time frame in nearly all circumstances. Any longer and people and pets will tamp down the snow so much that it becomes a Herculean chore to remove it. You shouldn’t need shoes equipped with crampons to walk the dog.
A proposal going before the council would give the public works manager the discretion to extend the shoveling time frame up to 72 hours after big storms. We understand that city officials are attempting to respond to citizens who were worried about being fined for failing to dig out sidewalks. But the truth is, the longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes.
Treacherous sidewalks are especially dangerous for older folks and the handicapped to navigate.
During a City Council committee meeting Tuesday, Vidal sounded judicious about when such an extension would be used. We hope so.
Denver is a pedestrian-friendly city and keeping our sidewalks clear is an important chore. Children have to go to school. People need to get to bus stops. The mail must be delivered. Clear sidewalks are integral to daily life.
As the city formally overhauls its snow-removal plan, residents ought to be expected to get out there quickly and do their part.
