Sidewalk Danger – Where is the Anger?

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by joannagreer in News Around School

By Bryan Campos

It has been around three weeks since the snowstorm hit our local area, with most of the sidewalks shoveled.  But now there is concern about the sidewalks that head down Randolph Road from Kennedy towards Georgia Avenue.  Even though the sidewalk has been semi-cleared of snow, it is still dangerous for anyone to walk on that sidewalk.  It is only 55 inches wide.  The sidewalk across the street it is 85 inches  wide.  That only allows for single file walking or extremely careful double-file travel.

There is also the mystery of who shovels the walkways.  It is not clear who is responsible as the homeowners on the other side of the fence do not face this side of Randolph.  If Randolph is a state road, is the state  of Marylandthe responsible party for  shoveling it?  It appears that they pile the road’s snow on the sidewalk, too.  This means that students have to climb over mounds of snow in some instances to make their way.  That, coupled with the skinniness of the walkway, can be treacherous.  So what entity takes care of these sidewalks?  What party should students question about this?

It was a good idea that the county decided to close down the school for several days after the snow storm because it would have been more dangerous for our students to walk on the ice that had been formed on the sidewalks since the day of the storm.

The sidewalk behind these students is the one in question.

In the meantime, students need to walk carefully on the sidewalk when is snowing or raining.  Horseplay or fooling around is dangerous in such a tight area with rush hour traffic just inches away. There is no barrier between pedestrians and the cars.