Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

It has been nearly three weeks since the eighth largest storm in Boston history covered the ground with almost two feet of snow, but residents say they are still searching for parking spaces, climbing over snowbanks to get through crosswalks, and cycling in bicycle lanes that have been piled on with snow.

Toni Fanning, the owner of Ritual Arts on Harvard Avenue, said the paths to the street were cleared out by her landlord, but the city parking lot was plowed in.

“Where are our customers supposed to park?” she said. “You can see how hard it is to go across the street.” 

As the cleanup of Boston roads, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks continues, residents question whether the city’s current approaches to snow removal are enough. 

On February 6, Boston Community Engagement reported that in the prior two weeks, the Boston 311 app tripled in submissions, with more than 15,000 calls and messages. The reports made on the app ranged from bike lanes being left unplowed to snow being built up the curbs to unwalkable sidewalks. 

Fanning, a resident of Brighton, said that streets where cars were not parked during the winter storm have yet to be plowed. 

“Nobody’s cleared that away,” Fanning said. “That seems to me like a city thing. If nobody parked there, they shouldn’t have to shovel out for the city.”

In a city press conference on snow removal efforts, officials praised the Public Works Department for clearing over 6,200 truckloads of snow from public streets and intersections. They reminded residents that property owners are responsible for sidewalks and curbs in front of their homes and businesses, to ensure that residents with disabilities and parents with strollers have the ability to pass through the sidewalks.

“We have seen sidewalks where property owners have let the snow pile up and freeze over, and the temperatures aren’t helping here,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “If you haven’t shoveled your sidewalk yet, please be a good neighbor and clear it out.” 

Code enforcement has issued thousands of snow removal violations citywide as of the morning of February 6, in an attempt that property owners will follow the initiative. 

Isabella Hann, a Brighton resident and renter, said they were concerned about elderly people who live on their street, describing the huge snowbanks and minimal space on the sidewalks. 

“There was a lot of ice and a lot of my neighbors, in my unit, actually went outside and shoveled themselves to make room for just like a walking path, and for our other neighbors who might not be able to go out and shovel,” they said. 

The Boston Cyclists Union has also raised complaints about the neglect of bicycle lanes in the aftermath of the snowstorm, arguing that the prioritization of streets shouldn’t dismiss the necessity to clear out the snow on bicycle lanes. The Union received complaints from bikers about the conditions of the lanes, motivating action to be taken by the Union.

“Almost every time it snows, the bike lanes just become almost non-existent or when they are plowed there plowed really inconsistently,” said Mandy Wilkens, events and communications manager for Boston Cyclists Union. “We’ve heard all across the city that bike lanes are completely useless.”

In an Instagram post, the Union called upon volunteers willing to help shovel out the bicycle lanes, as well as providing a Google Form for residents to file issues with lanes near them. In a coalition of more than 20 people, the Union and volunteers helped clean out lanes that were left unplowed by the city. 

“There were a couple of ideas that were thrown around, but eventually we just decided, if the city is not going to do it, we’re going to do it,” said Wilkens.

City Council President Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Breadon says that she has heard from constituents that snow plows have either pummelled flex posts or piled snow on bike lanes. She plans on meeting with the Streets Department next week about a plan to replace the flex posts.

“The folks who commute by bicycle year round, they’re finding it very dangerous to be on the road when the bike lanes are pretty much obliterated at this point,” says Breadon. 

While acknowledging that it’s been a “challenging season” for residents and the city, Breadon says that “we must find a more elegant way to deal with the snow.” The recent storm has renewed calls for new solutions for future winter storms. 

At a recent City Council meeting, City Councilor Ed Flynn has proposed a hearing to discuss the possibility of purchasing snow melters. Breadon says that rather than pushing snow to the side of the roads, the city could take inspiration from Montreal, where trucks collect snow by blowing it into the vehicle and moving it elsewhere. Officials are also considering the possibility of cleaning sidewalks that haven’t been cleared by property owners, and charging them afterwards. 

“Of course, landlords have the responsibility to do that too [plow snow], which I think they can definitely be stepping up, ” said Hann.

 “But I think the city could definitely be more proactive and plan for the storm ahead of time.”

John Lin contributed to reporting.