MINNEAPOLIS — The roughly two feet of snow on the ground in Minneapolis has created not just obstacles on the roads but also on the sidewalks. Neighborhood city sidewalks are left to be shoveled by property owners, but the problem is not every resident follows that rule.
"This is a accessibility, safety and equity issue," Carly Ellefsen said.
Ellefsen lives in Minneapolis and is a part of the non-profit Our Streets.The organization advocates for safe cycling and walking in Minneapolis. Last month, they launched a campaign asking the city to start plowing sidewalks.
"There are cities in Canada that have this system, and also here in Minnesota," Ellefsen said.
Bloomington is one of the cities that plows their city sidewalks, however, the two largest cities in the state (Minneapolis and St. Paul) don't share that responsibility.
Ellefsen says the city researched this idea back in 2018 but voted against a sidewalk plowing system.
Ward 9 Councilmember Jason Chavez tweeted:
If the city were to start plowing municipal sidewalks, it would need to increase resources which means more funding to the public works budget. The city council would need to approve a measure like this.
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