Friend or Foe Remove the Snow

First day back to work after more then a week: hectic but survivable. I had forgot the boss was going to be off most this week which is not bad thing but sill I got to work early raring to go. The phone lines have been busier then I would have suspected for a Monday Wednesday. All in all the day is good. I returned phone calls, visited with staff as to their holidays, remembered things I should not have forgotten and all in all got myself back into “Work mode”

After the last snow storm, the last great snow storm the plows an the people either did not clear sidewalks as they should or the plows piled huge masses of snow at the end of driveways blocking curb cuts and making it impossible for people using wheelchair to get off sidewalks at safe points. Again, I usually do not have problems rolling in the road, usually I prefer it I have lately been trying to live safer. I have been using sidewalks where ever possible. I have also become keenly aware at the risk I place myself in trying to use the roads with the traffic after a snowfall. The worst point for me is crossing the bridge over the Interstate. The snow is plowed to the sides of the bridge taking almost half of a lane; pushing me out into traffic further them usual. I called the City and asked what or who is responsible for clearing these areas, an who could enforce local sidewalk clearing ordinances. I was delighted to find an old friend of mine had taken the position, who eventually returned my call. I was excited that she now had this position. She had always been an champion of disability access so I knew she at least new philosophy and the jargon of access. When we did speak understood my frustrations and fears and assured me that she would look into enforcing snow removal .

I really have faith in this woman and I am trying to keep hold of my faith but coming into work I was in the highway a good part of the time and lucky for me that I crossed the “Bridge of Doom” before morning rush traffic had began. It looked to me that no one had done any sidewalk clearing at all. In fact the snowpiles were much larger then usual and now the snow piles have crusted and actually turned to ice with more snow for caste for this weekend and next week. Today I have been too busy to get on the phone speak to my friend but tomorrow I will call her for sure. I know I am going to sound like an aging whiney crip, demanding too much from the municipal services but I deserve safety going and coming from work and I should not have to feel guilty demanding this service. So we’ll see if my faith in my friend is deserved( which I currently believe is)or has fallen to the Darkside and makes promises with no intention of keeping.