So far most efforts to dig out from the 2009 Christmas blizzard have focused on clearing streets for cars, trucks, and buses.  Most pedestrians are left to fend for themselves to navigate icy and snow-covered sidewalks.  Many end up walking in the street, often the only clear path available. Snow thrown aside by plows have left tall piles block many bus stops, again forcing people into the street to wait for the bus.

Many business districts like Downtown, the Plaza, and Brookside use private contractors to clear their sidewalks, but in residential areas it’s the property owners who are responsible for clearing their sidewalks.  The City has an ordinance on the books requiring sidewalks to be cleared, but doesn’t really have any personal to enforce it.

A pedestrian walking in West 39th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue.

Plowed snow blocking access to the Plaza MAX station on J.C. Nichols Parkway.