BOSTON – Last week, following a significant storm with over 23 inches of snow, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn wrote a letter to both Mayor Wu and Interim Chief of Streets Nick Gove to thank dedicated city employees who worked under extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, Councilor Flynn relayed the areas of opportunity and improvement for the city’s response that he received in dozens of calls, emails, and letters from residents and businesses to their elected officials and public servants. This week, Councilor Flynn subsequently filed a hearing order to discuss the City of Boston purchasing snow melters, and other pertinent snow removal equipment, to address future storms.
Councilor Flynn wrote that District 2 neighbors continue to provide feedback on accessibility and public safety issues, including difficulties navigating streets and sidewalks and limited accessibility for all (our seniors, persons with disabilities, and young families with strollers), along with restricted access to fire hydrants and catch basins. Neighbors also noted reports of difficulties with road accessibility for first responders (and ambulance on Huntington Avenue), the inability of neighbors and families to return to park cars on snow emergency routes following removal of the parking ban (L Street, First Street, Dorchester Street), and the difficulties of residents to utilize MBTA bus stops (Tremont Street).
In 2015, Boston experienced significant snowfall, with 24.6 inches from January 26-27th, 16.2 inches on February 2nd, and 23.8 inches from February 7-9th. At that time, the City utilized “snow farms” – dedicated, large scale sites where a significant amount of snow is transported after being collected from plowed streets and sidewalks. Councilor Flynn echoed the concerns of many constituents on calls for a similar response to the winter of 2015, when many two-way streets were also turned one-way for weeks…