Making Minneapolis Winters Walkable

At Our Streets Minneapolis we have a new advocacy priority: making our streets walkable in the winter. While summer is just drawing to a close, we know winter will be here before we know it. This year we are committed to making sure people waking and rolling can continue to get around our city in the ways that work best for them. 

Right now in Minneapolis, many sidewalks and crossing areas are not cleared of snow and ice promptly. Even when sidewalks and crossings are cleared, they are not consistently maintained for people who are walking or rolling. 

We know folks will not be able to get around our city reliably until our sidewalks are usable all year round. That's why we're working to have snow and ice promptly cleared from sidewalks, corners, and crossing areas in the winter. 

Here are the top priorities we're advocating for this winter season:

• Implementation of the City's planned sidewalk pilot. We'll be keeping close tabs on what the pilot will demonstrate, what will change after the pilot, and how the results will lead to tangible changes. 
• Demonstrated improvements in corner clearing during this winter season. We can make changes now for people who walk and roll. One of the ways we can do that is by improving the way corners are cleared of snow and ice. 
• Increased assistance for those who are not able to meet the clearing requirements and further education on what the City ordinances require for folks responsible for clearing ice and snow on city sidewalks and corners.

City staff will present a plan for Winter Sidewalk Maintenance to the Transportation and Public Works Committee, likely later this month. We look forward to working with the City on their plan, and making sure everyone can get around safely and comfortably this winter. 

Ready to raise your voice? Sign our digital postcard telling our local elected officials you support better winter sidewalk maintenance. 

Interested in learning more? Find more information in the Minneapolis Pedestrian and Bicycle Winter Maintenance Study, and in our blog post about the study.

Wondering what the current rules for sidewalk snow clearance are? Find out on the City's page outlining requirements for clearing snow and ice. 

Want to support our work? Share this blog post and/or make a donation today. 

Stay connected or get more involved with our work around winter sidewalk maintenance by contacting us here.