Trips anywhere on sidewalks or multiuse paths this winter have been treacherous for pedestrians and cyclists. Last week I watched as a lady flipped a powered wheelchair at Arctic and Dimond after negotiating a sidewalk berm. The same day, the state Department of Transportation blew half a mile of path full of ice and snow chunks up the west side of Arctic Boulevard. This week I was confronted constantly with ice-chunk-clogged sidewalks going to work.
Old Seward walkways from 100th to Dimond had a few hours of access Friday morning, then were clogged again in the afternoon. As I write this, Arctic from 76th to Raspberry on the business side is clogged. The opposite side of Arctic on to International is arguably worse.
Ask the family with the kid negotiating it if you really have any doubts. The truly maddening part is that this happened after the paltry 1-inch dusting of snow a few days ago. Inexcusable.
In all fairness, the municipality and state DOT have very tough missions. I've plowed commercially, was a state employee and am a lifelong Alaskan born here in Anchorage nine years before statehood. The community understands snow. We get the difficulties of the job. It's challenging but not rocket science.
Funding is and has been a chronic problem, but that may never improve if DOT can't get its act together.
As a community council officer, I have spent countless hours advocating to include pathways in road projects and also to design them intelligently, so as to minimize maintenance and maximize their use. More path miles are in the pipeline, increasing the pressure for a functional solution going forward.
The municipality and DOT recently acquired small path-plowing fleets -- a highly commendable and appreciated step. But in my area, I repeatedly see the clearing of a sidewalk followed within a day or even hours by a road plow that buries the same walkway. When one is pushing or postholing through the chunky mush, we should realize that we are paying to have this done to ourselves.
I am troubled by DOT's lack of interest in solving the problem rather than perpetuating the status quo. Tom Grman of DOT defends the practices used to clear the roads, citing the needs of snow management to justify burying the sidewalks. There's merit to some of what DOT does, but in practice, those who walk, bike, commute or recreate are stuck with gambling that they can find facilities clear enough to get to a destination.
There is plenty of opportunity to improve the functioning of the system using volunteers, design aspects, scheduling, prioritizing and legislation. I have asked Chris Tuck to look into broadening the Good Samaritan provisions as a start. But the "sucks to be you" attitude has got to go.
The motoring public would have agency heads on a platter if they had to push their vehicles the last quarter or half mile to work, the grocery store or home. Rightly so. The non-motorized public deserves no less consideration.
Every pedestrian, bus rider or cyclist means one less car on the road, a spare parking spot, less wear and tear on roadways, less pressure on health care resources and fewer accidents, to name a few of the many benefits. Carbon reduction needs, obesity issues, traffic congestion, air quality, recreation, health goals, fuel costs and economic benefits all argue for more non-vehicular solutions, not fewer. Clear, reliable sidewalks and pathways are key to enabling that process.
Bottom line: We are all paying for a process that is not working. Let's get it right.
Jeff Schmitz is past president of Taku-Campbell Community Council and serves on the council's Streets and Trails Committee.
By JEFF SCHMITZ