Title
Resolution to Improve the Safety and Accessibility of Sidewalks in the Winter
Body
Whereas, The 2015 Pedestrian Safety and Access Task Force report recommendations include 1) eliminating impassable snow piles left in crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, crossing islands, and bus stops and 2) undertaking and assessing the financial, operational feasibility and level of community support of the City undertaking snow and ice removal on the City’s public sidewalk system;
Whereas, In June 2020, City Council unanimously adopted the A2Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan which includes as a core strategy reducing vehicle miles traveled by at least 50% by 2030;
Whereas, In February 2021, SnowBuddy released a report “Access for All: Maintaining Our Sidewalk Transportation Corridors in Winter” which proposes options for the City of Ann Arbor to conduct winter maintenance of city sidewalks in a safe and professional manner in all neighborhoods;
Whereas, In February 2021, the Transportation Commission endorsed the goal of municipal sidewalk snow removal and views this goal as an urgent need for City spending and planning;
Whereas, In March 2021, City Council passed Resolution R-21-084 directing the City Administrator, among other activities, to:
• Review, assess the feasibility, and propose cost estimates and strategies for a municipal sidewalk snow removal program;
• Realign City policies, procedures, and budgets to ensure the winter maintenance of the municipal sidewalk network (including crosswalks and curb ramps, access to transit stops/facilities, and routes through parks that improve our network), such that an accessible pedestrian route exists in a timely manner concurrent with the clearance of the streets;
• Review the City’s snow removal policies and strategies and recommend adjustments to our operational model to address identified deficiencies that would make the pedestrian transportation network safe and consistently accessible to all users during the winter; and
• Pilot solutions, preferably along a major transit corridor(s) and in the DDA, during the winter of 2021-2022 and report back to Council on the success of these pilot operations.
Whereas, On June 7, 2021 City Council unanimously adopted the City’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan which identifies core community values of creating a safe, equitable, and accessible transportation system;
Whereas, Reversing inequities in transportation investments and policies is an important component of a comprehensive Vision Zero strategy and an important value in the community of Ann Arbor; and
Whereas, At Council’s December 6, 2021 a detailed memo analyzing the feasibility and costs of creating a winter sidewalk maintenance program in the City of Ann Arbor and recommending actionable next steps was shared with City Council; and
Whereas, Current policies hold the City to a lesser standard of winter clearance than privately and residentially maintained sidewalks and shift staffing and equipment from Parks to clear streets. The estimated costs to ensure City sidewalk clearance is not prioritized lower than street plowing and sidewalks are cleared within 24 hours of a snowfall are as follows; now therefore be it;
|
Personnel Costs (FY22 $$) |
$328,000 |
|
Startup Costs (FY22 $$) |
$175,000 |
|
Operations and Maintenance Costs (FY22 $$) |
$50,833 |
|
Year 1 Costs |
$559,153 |
|
Year 2 Costs |
$394,152 |
|
Total Two-year Cost |
$953,305 |
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to provide an analysis in the FY23 budget presentations regarding the staffing needs and costs to ensure sidewalks and paths owned by the City are cleared with the same timeliness as required of privately owned nonresidential properties in the City;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator carry out an RFI process to determine contractor capacity, interest, and costs that could be used to further determine feasibility of using contractors for a municipal snow clearing program;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to work with the Attorney’s Office to prepare City code amendments related to sidewalk clearing to ensure that City code offers Community Standards necessary discretion and opportunity to focus enforcement on problematic properties and utilize educational alternatives, while conducting enforcement efforts;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to work with the Ann Arbor Police Department and Community Standards to develop a more robust annual education and enforcement campaign for snow clearing across the City, with an initial emphasis on proactive enforcement along transit corridors;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to implement solutions for better outcomes in the DDA district with a particular emphasis on ensuring unobstructed access to/from/within all crosswalks, including, but not limited to convening a working group of representatives from the Main Street BIZ, the merchant associations, property owners, and major institutional building owners to implement solutions for better snow clearing operations in the DDA district; and
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to conduct outreach to the AAPS to encourage the timely clearance of sidewalks adjacent to all AAPS-owned properties.
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Briggs, Grand, and Griswold