Snow Shoveling Covered By County For 40 Miles of MOCO's Sidewalks

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The county will take on shoveling responsibility for about 40 miles of Montgomery County sidewalks that are in communities that are transit-dependent or have a high concentration of low-income residents, the county council decided unanimously Tuesday.

"Many of our front-line essential workers, who depend on public transportation, are forced to walk along dangerous, snow-covered sidewalks to get to their bus stop – while so many others are able to get into their cars or even work from home," the council said in a news release. "The Shovel Our Sidewalks Act is just one tool in our toolbox to ensure that pedestrians can safely get to where they need to go – this includes ensuring clear sidewalks for those on wheelchairs or parents with strollers."

The council named Georgia Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, Briggs Chaney Road, Randolph Road, Veirs Mill Road and Middlebrook Road as places where snow can pile up and make it dangerous to walk. The council did not say if these would be the primary areas that the Department of Transportation will be responsible for clearing.

“It’s no coincidence that our lower income communities also have higher rates of pedestrians and transit ridership, which requires residents to navigate dangerous snow covered sidewalks while walking to their bus stop,” Council Vice President Evan Glass said. “By taking a more active role in sidewalk snow removal, we will increase pedestrian safety and be one step closer to achieving our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030.”