Bradley, thanks for this piece. Did you CC PGC Council and/or your local rep/s? I agree with you whole heartedly, both the message and the feeling with which it's delivered.

by Bianchi on Feb 22, 2010 10:22 am • link • report

Where I live in Anne Arundel County, we have both adults and school children who need to use the sidewalks. The residents of our neighborhood conscientiously cleared the sidewalks in front of their homes after every snow. In the aftermath of the storms, all was good with the sidewalks and travel lanes clear. Although there was snow in the streets to the side of the travel lanes, it was not in anyone's way. Then along came the county with a fleet of heavy equipment and stripped the streets curb to curb, clearing all the snow. And where did they dump it you ask? On to the sidewalks of course. Now the streets are completely clear and the sidewalks are blocked with mounds of heavy snow that are impossible to move without heavy equipment. Pedestrians and school kids are now forced to walk in the streets. Not what I would call an improvement. Its not clear whether the intentional burying of the sidewalks was due to not caring or due to lack of basic intelligence, but either way, it is appalling.

by Alan on Feb 22, 2010 10:29 am • link • report

Basic question: Who's responsibility was it to clear this sidewalk? This post blames it on the county. I believe the county has said that sidewalk was the state's responsibility.

by Fritz on Feb 22, 2010 10:40 am • link • report

The property owners have the obligation to clear the sidewalks. Law only obligates the State to clear the roadways. Of course, it only takes one property owner *not* to clear the sidewalk to break the entire connection.

by Bossi on Feb 22, 2010 10:51 am • link • report

@Fritz-it doesn't matter-if someone's life is endangered you do not ask "is it my responsibility to prevent this death?" You act! That's what PGC could do and ask for reimbursement from the state later if they think the state should pay for it.
@ Alan, its a result of the windshield perspective (often written about on this blog) that results in very real life threatening situations for people who aren't driving in cars.

by Bianchi on Feb 22, 2010 10:52 am • link • report

The time lag for clearing pedestrian facilities and bus stops has been dismal everywhere I've seen, even for an unprecedented storm. Unfortunately, we see the tragic results.

by Gavin Baker on Feb 22, 2010 10:58 am • link • report

Thanks for this thorough, in-depth look at conditions. I live in DC and faced similar problems last week, but I actually don't think our conditions overall (a few places excepted) are as bad as they are out in the counties -- I was in PG county last Monday, walking along Baltimore Avenue, and it was much scarier than what I face here. I also think it might be worth noting that the state designed that road in a way that forced Mr. Fukuhara not just to walk in the road, but to walk with traffic -- based on what I see on Google streetview, there is no sidewalk at all on the other side of Branch Ave, the intersections are more complex, and the crossings hostile to pedestrians.

Final note -- Given that this was a hit-and-run and that the driver has not come forward, even after 3 days, I don't think we should be concluding that this was an "accident". Whatever we all think about the usual arguments over that word, there is no evidence one way or the other right now about whether this homicide was accidental or intentional.

by Eileen on Feb 22, 2010 11:11 am • link • report

Don't let Montgomery County off the hook, either; quite a few sidewalks within walking distance of White Flint and Twinbrook stations are completely impassable.

For places where it's the property-owner's job, someone--the County, if it's a County rule--needs to hold their feet to the fire. For places where the County or State owns the sidewalks--such as the bridge over the CSX tracks on Nicholson/Parklawn, which remains impassable--there's just no excuse. Walking from my home to White Flint is a scary adventure these days, with the cars zooming past at 35+ mph.

by David on Feb 22, 2010 11:21 am • link • report

I share your concerns with the county's lack of maintenance post-snowstorm on the sidewalks. I live within 1 mile of the West Hyattsville metro, and the sidewalks and bus stops on the south side of Ager Road are still under several inches of solid ice. Just this morning, a car hit a patch of ice and ran up an ice embankment covering the sidewalk (luckily there were no pedestrians at the time, although there is a elementary school a block away with many children who walk on the ice each day).

by Scott on Feb 22, 2010 11:29 am • link • report

Great post. This kind of thing is happening basically everywhere. I work in Arbutus in Baltimore County and have had my lunchtime routine severely impacted because Sulphur Spring Road is completely impassible for pedestrians now. There is a post office that is literally a couple hundred feet as the crow flies from the front door of my office, and I currently have to drive to get there unless I want walk in the road with 40-50 mph traffic.

by Chris on Feb 22, 2010 11:29 am • link • report

One difficult issue is when snow is plowed onto the sidewalks. It's an issue with smaller storms, but at least with those storms we can still see over the piles; but with this storm: it can be unreasonable to expect some homeowners to shovel through a pile taller than they are... that could be a bit daunting even for the more fit among us.

This is why many snowbelt jurisdictions (that is: places that regularly get far more snow than here) plow to the median, have a clear area between road and sidewalk for plowing to the edge (noting that w/ this amount of snow, even existing clear zones have been overcome), or they intentionally do not plow at all.

by Bossi on Feb 22, 2010 11:29 am • link • report

And to expand on the "do not plow" bit -- a big part of the issue is when there is dry pavement on a major road but snow-covered sidewalks. That is, cars can go fast but peds are on the roads. When the road is also in poor condition, or if it's a minor street: Monderman-style shared space inherently takes over. I've actually quite enjoyed walking my neighborhood streets in Laurel as well as in DC over the last several weeks... it's the unshoveled but well-plowed arterials which drive up the nerves a bit.

by Bossi on Feb 22, 2010 11:32 am • link • report

I bicycle and inline skate for recreation (not transportation). I always carry one of these:

http://www.google.com/products?q=rear+bicycle+light

Mine has four bright red LED's that move in a rapid triangle pattern.

Whenever I'm in the street, even in the daytime, I have the light on.

This does not excuse failure to clear the streets, but if you are forced to walk in the streets, you should protect yourself by wearing a rear light.

by Alan on Feb 22, 2010 11:58 am • link • report

There was another story about a hit & run on the local news. A woman waiting for the bus, who had to wait in the street, was struck by an SUV. The driver stopped and then fled.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Prince_George_s_County_Pedestrian_Struck_and_Seriously_Injured_Washington_DC.html

Like some of the other posters have pointed out, the roads now are more dangerous than they were last week, and the reason is that the streets are cleared curb-to-curb. Drivers have resumed their normal, asinine habits, while pedestrians continue to walk in the streets in many places. At least the snow produced some traffic calming while it was on the streets.

The County and the State need to identify pedestrian snow emergency routes, and keep them clear of the snow with the same (hopefully, better) diligence that they clear the roads.

by bikermark on Feb 22, 2010 11:58 am • link • report

From my windshield perspective, I believe the driver was grossly negligent for not driving slower to allow pedestrian safety when the sidewalks are covered with snow. SOME drivers are simply jackasses for assuming they should drive the same speed under such conditions then normally.

The police need to monitor the area body shops to see if anyone comes in with an automobile with say human dna on a damaged portion of that auto.

by Douglas A. Willinger on Feb 22, 2010 12:00 pm • link • report

I also live in Prince George's County, though in a municipality. The city of Greenbelt has had crews clearing sidewalks for a couple of days, but they didn't get to the bus stops on my street until Wednesday last week. The roads had been clear for several days.

I understand that the law says property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. I find that completely unacceptable. The property owner most of the time doesn't own the sidewalk. It's on the public right-of-way. Furthermore, we don't expect each property owner to clear the street in front of their house. Why the sidewalk?

No, this death is on the hands of the county. It's a wonder more people haven't been injured or killed.

by Matt Johnson on Feb 22, 2010 12:02 pm • link • report

@ Douglas-by "windshield perspective" in this case I meant the failure of leadership and planning that caused cleared sidewalks (in the case of Alan's story) to have snow boulders pushed onto them by plows in the street, and the failure of PGC (with help from the state) to clear sidewalks <0.5 mi. from a metro stop.

Windshield perspective, to me, means not the way drivers behave (although it can be that too) but more the policies that allow roads and other infrastructure to be built that create a situation for drivers to behave in a certain way that is "normal" and that results in greatly diminshed safety for non-car-driving users of the road; such as a policy that clears the road curb-to-curb but not the sidewalk with a half mi. of a train stop, or more generally the LOS.

by Bianchi on Feb 22, 2010 12:18 pm • link • report

The sidewalks on the way to Vienna/Fairfax Metro are essentially impassable, as I found out last afternoon when I chose to walk the 3/4 mile to the Metro (and was nearly hit myself when the driver of a pickup truck chose to ignore the NO RIGHT ON RED sign clearly posted at the intersection). They're not much better in front of nearby Oakton High School, in spite of the many schoolchildren who walk to and from school each day -- and at the moment, presumably, are being dropped off by parents who don't want them walking in the street.

The question is this: apart from the high school, who do we contact for snow removal? It's hard to know who the property owners are, because the sidewalks on either side are adjacent to half a dozen enclosed cul-de-sacs and developments -- and all the residents of these happy little Valley Dales or Dally Vales or whatnot have their property lines delineated by a fence that doesn't reach the sidewalk, so it doesn't seem to be part of their property.

So I don't know who to contact. The Town of Vienna or Fairfax County will probably say that it's VDOT's problem, VDOT will blame the property owners, and I suspect that the property owners will point to the fence and shrug. Regardless, I'm rather surprised we haven't had more pedestrian deaths because of this sidewalk problem.

by sg on Feb 22, 2010 12:36 pm • link • report

Excellent post. What worries me most are bus stations places along six lane roads with no sidewalks. There are several of these in Prince George's County, and their hazard is exacerbated when snow gets plowed to the side of the road giving already marooned bus riders an even less safe environment.

by Dave Murphy on Feb 22, 2010 12:48 pm • link • report

I walked from New Carrollton to the UPS distributor about a mile away. Almost died like five times and was treated like vermin by drivers by. Exceptionally horrible experience

by Cameron Conway on Feb 22, 2010 1:49 pm • link • report

@Bianchi: But it's not that simple and it matters greatly who owns the sidewalk and who has the legal responsibility to keep it well-maintained.

Consider: If I own Property A and properly clear it's sidewalks, what responsibility do I have to ensure that Property D down the street also has cleared sidewalks for pedestrians? Would any reasonable property owner really ask him/herself whether they had a responsibility to shovel that property's sidewalks in order to possibly prevent someone's death? Of course not.

The same principle applies in this case, regardless of the tragic death of Mr. Fukuhara. The county simply doesn't have the money or resources to clear all sidewalks are worry about who's going to pay for it later. To pretend otherwise is to willfully ignore the fiscal realities. Consider again: Does the District have a responsibility to clear the sidewalks of properties owned by the National Park Service? I say it neither has such a legal responsibility, nor does it have the resources to do so. Indeed, let's say the District cleared a path on NPS land, but didn't salt it properly. A pedestrian walks on that sidewalk, slips on ice, and breaks their leg. They can now sue the District for negligently clearing that sidewalk. It's a bad legal dilemma, where there's greater incentive for a Good Samaritan resident to leave a sidewalk covered in snow than to risk shoveling it in a manner that a court could later find was negligent.

This isn't to lessen the tragedy of this man's death. I honestly don't know what a local jurisdiction can do with its limited resources to clear each and every sidewalk, regardless of who actually owns that property. But to issue a blanket policy that the county should do it and worry about the costs later simply isn't going to happen.

What is needed are better laws making it explicitly clear who's responsibility it is (the DC law on snow shoveling is astoundingly outdated), tough penalties for failure to abide by the law, and tough enforcement. The Dept of Transportation could probably attach a requirement that jurisdictions receiving federal transportation money or that seek to receive federal disaster area money make a demonstrable effort at clearing major pedestrian routes.

by Fritz on Feb 22, 2010 4:26 pm • link • report

Perhaps now is as good a time as any for a grassroots movement to think about what new laws should be, and to work with legislators to see that they go through.

However, it must remain in mind not to go overboard with solely thinking of this storm. This was a massive storm by anyone's standards -- it'd even be a good size in snowbelt areas; but the storm did highlight some fundamental issues encompassing design, operations, and communications.

Legal revisions may wish to reevaluate whose responsibility it is to maintain bikeways, sidewalks, bus stops, and any other myriad of routes; and to what degree: a minimum 3' area, a 5' area, or more? And where's that snow go if there's no remaining area left to put it?

Policy revisions may wish to consider a snow plan that intentionally does not plow some streets or does so only slightly: instead letting vehicular traffic forge through & compact it -- keeping it as a shared space area. Or routes that get priority plowing treatment may also necessitate priority sidewalk treatment... of course any policy changes would go hand in hand with legal changes.

Just some thoughts... at the moment I feel like there's more ranting and complaining than there is necessarily anyone attempting to take some action & find solutions. ...And while I'm on that subject: make sure you report unplowed / unshoveled areas before or concurrent with complaining about them; and also make sure to report potholes likewise.

Cheers!

by Bossi on Feb 22, 2010 5:39 pm • link • report

If Asa was struck from behind, Asa was walking on the wrong side of the street, no?

by Turnip on Feb 22, 2010 7:57 pm • link • report

Disregarding the presence of sidewalks, while walking on the correct side of the road may save a life; I'd be hard-pressed to agree that walking on the wrong side of the road would correspond with taking a life.

That is: if one is facing the correct direction (against traffic), the pedestrian may be more capable of getting out of the way... but it doesn't mean that the motorist has the right to expect the pedestrian to do so.

by Bossi on Feb 22, 2010 8:09 pm • link • report

Arlington doesn't even have an ordinance requiring property owners to clear the sidewalk. See http://thegreenmiles.blogspot.com/2010/02/arlington-county-board-hints-at-action.html

by Zachary Schrag on Feb 22, 2010 10:37 pm • link • report

Bossi, Turnip -- Over the weekend, because I saw this point about the wisdom of walking with traffic being made a lot, I pulled up Google's streetview to look at Asa Fukuhara's walk and see if it would have been possible for him to follow the usual advice and walk against traffic (although I agree with everything Bossi said about responsibility -- particularly here where the driver hit and ran). I don't think he would have been any safer doing that. Mr. Fukuhara lived at 3001 Branch; the Naylor Road Metro (his destination) is at 3101 Branch -- same side of the street as where he lived. To the extent that any sidewalks or marked crosswalks existed, they also were only on his side of the street. To get to the other side of Branch "safely," he would have had to backtrack to Southern Avenue, cross Branch on the DC side of Southern(the only marked crosswalk); once on the other side, he would have had to cross Southern without a marked crosswalk; cross multiple exits and entrances for Suitland Parkway without crosswalk markings; and, finally, assuming he reached the intersection where Branch hits the entrance to the Naylor Road station, he would have had to cross back over to the other side of Branch without any marked crosswalks. The road there seems to be designed to force pedestrians to walk where he was walking -- ordinarily, they'd have a sidewalk the entire way and only one small crossing to deal with (not to say they'd be entirely safe given the general behavior of drivers) -- but I think Maryland can be faulted here not just for failing to make sure the walk was shoveled (and for dumping snow on the sidewalk), but also for designing the road this way. In any case, I don't think Mr. F. or other pedestrians should be faulted for doing the best they could in what were completely unreasonable circumstances.

More generally on the policy issue: I've found the discussion here pretty interesting (especially Bossi's ideas about leaving the streets unplowed -- I, too, had several nice walks in neighborhoods which were unplowed here in DC), but I wonder if we also should look at this from a slightly different angle: for the past 2+ weeks, our lovely governments have turned all pedestrians into jaywalkers -- not only are we in physical danger, but our rights are also threatened by these practices. The only places we have right of way are in crosswalks and on sidewalks, and we're being deprived of their use. I think that it's unjust for the government to burden our right to walk by confining us to crosswalks and sidewalks, and then to make those areas unavailable to us by dumping snow on them. So, my thought is that IF that practice continues, the government should change the law to provide that wherever/whenever sidewalks or crosswalks are unavailable for pedestrian use, pedestrians have right of way in the street at all times and that drivers will be charged criminally with failing to stop and give right of way regardless of the circumstances.

by Eileen on Feb 23, 2010 12:07 am • link • report