Minneapolis residents voice frustrations over large snow mounds
By BERET LEONE
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Snow may have stopped falling by Friday, but the aftermath of the white stuff is still a danger to travelers in Minneapolis.
“It’s just kind of hard dealing with this,” Roberta Bacon said. “This winter is worse than the others.”
Bacon is frustrated with her street in south Minneapolis and is concerned with conditions of snow piles, streets and sidewalks.
“What’s the purpose? Kids be on these corners and y’all piling snow up here and there,” she said. “How can a bus driver see them?”
After a two-day snow streak, cleanup takes a while. During that process, snow often times get pushed into sidewalks, creating large snow mounds. When the snow gets high, drivers can’t see pedestrians or bikers.
Some police stations are reminding drivers to pull through intersections slowly.
“A kid might step out and that car might turn and they might slide and hit the child,” Bacon said. “It’s dangerous.”
Other travelers agree. Like Peace Coffee bike courier, Bryan Dougherty. Dougherty was busy delivering coffee Friday morning.
“Some of those mounds are high,” he said. “You can’t really see around corners.”
Dougherty said Friday wasn’t a bad travel day for him. But he does struggle with mounds of snow in intersections and messy side streets. Ice can be a problem, too.
“I’ve had to pull the trailer up a couple hills because I lost traction,” Dougherty said.
As a person traveling via wheelchair, Randall Kitzman places his worries elsewhere.
“My biggest worry is the sidewalks not being cleared enough to travel on,” Kitzman said. “There are times that I have to travel out in the road. Sometimes I’m not sure, should I be going with the traffic? Against the traffic? I don’t know.”
Kitzman says the mess left behind after Minnesota’s latest snowstorm makes it especially dangerous for older people and those with disabilities.
“One slip and fall, and you know, before you know it, you’re in the hospital,” Kitzman said.
The City of Minneapolis said it’s evaluating the need for one-sided street parking due to the amount of snow. It also said it’s actively inspecting sidewalks. The city encourages its residents to report problem areas through 311.
Minneapolis crews will do extra clean up, but won’t solidify those plans until the snow emergency is over.
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