Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino did a great job prepping residents for last weekend’s historic Blizzard of 2013, though cleanup has been a mixed bag. JP residents responded well with a community spirit of playfulness and responsibility, from the Hyde Square snowman to many quickly cleared sidewalks.
Patience and flexibility are required when a giant snowfall fills tiny, ancient streets already crowded by today’s six-cars-per-triple-decker culture. But we do expect all streets to be open to emergency vehicles within 24 hours after any storm, which did not happen, and business district parking to be cleared out faster.
Snowplowing was pretty good, but it seems City oversight and coordination was lacking on side streets. We look forward to hearing a solution to that.
Some property owners (including the City of Boston) still need to do a better job of clearing their sidewalks. Remember, that means all of the sidewalk around a property, with a path as wide as possible, cleared down to the concrete. In short, residents should treat their sidewalks the way they demand the City treats the roads.