A city subcommittee reviewed the Madison snow removal ordinance Monday, ultimately voting to amend it to require the clearing of bus pads as well as sidewalks.
Under the current ordinance, snow and ice must be removed from all sidewalks by 12 p.m. on the day following snowfall. After members of the ADA Transit Subcommittee to the Transit and Parking Commission raised safety concerns regarding areas often neglected by snowplows, the subcommittee made a motion to modify the language of the ordinance to include bus pads.
According to the ordinance, anyone violating this law can be subject to a $30 to $50 fine for the first offense, and a $30 to $100 fine for the second offense.
Paratransit Program Manager Crystal Martin said the city ordinance is a recurring issue for the subcommittee.
“They are always looking to perfect [the ordinance],” Martin said. “We bring it up annually, review it, see what people’s current issues are and sometimes we get what we got tonight.”
One specific concern TPC Vice Chair Bill Tangney raised was issue of mainline buses compensating for unplowed snow buildup by pulling into an intersection — and in the process, partially blocking traffic — to pick up passengers.
“I don’t know the risk in that, but it scares me when I see it happening,” Tangey said.
As a response to the problem, Tangney suggested the city place a greater emphasis on property owners — and in particular those on the mainline — to clear potentially dangerous areas of snow and ice.
Furthermore, subcommittee member Ida Wyman said enforcement of the current ordinance is too lax.
“People simply do not care because they are not going to get a ticket,” Wyman said. “I don’t see anyone in fear of a citation for not obeying the law.”
Ald. Chris Schmidt, District 11, said the ordinance is enforced on a complaint-driven basis.
Schmidt said the next step in the amendment process will involve him and Martin revising language of the amendment, presenting a draft of the modified ordinance to the subcommittee’s next meeting and then bringing the amendment before the city’s Transit and Parking Commission.
Schmidt added it is unfortunate the subcommittee brought the issue up so late in the year, saying the amendment process will not allow for implementation of the new ordinance this winter.
