Every day, downtown Raleigh resident Kate Sanborn walks her dog Moose. And nearly every day for the last two weeks, she’s been dealing with an icy mess on sidewalk after sidewalk.
“Quite honestly, I had to walk and run in the middle of the road, which isn't great,” said Sanborn.
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The issue has even impacted city leaders. During Tuesday's Raleigh City Council meeting, council member Mitchell Silver said he’d also walked in the street to avoid ice and snow.
“I was somewhat surprised,” said Silver.
Responsibility for keeping Raleigh’s sidewalks snow and ice-free is split. Outside of downtown, a city ordinance requires property owners or tenants to keep sidewalks clear. But inside downtown, specifically inside the 1.23 square mile Downtown Raleigh Municipal Service District, it’s the city to clear the sidewalks.
“Businesses and property owners in this MSD pay a higher tax for enhanced services,” wrote City of Raleigh spokesperson Julia Milstead.
Back-to-back winter storms have been testing those services. Multiple city residents told WRAL they’ve dealt with slick spots and icy patches for days.
Milstead says the city’s crews have been stretched thin.
“Our top priority…is tackling the roadways- the high traffic areas. Our downtown crew - when it’s safe to do so - works on the sideewalks,” wrote Milstead.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Transportation Director Paul Kallam agreed, saying “We will slowly try to work on sidewalks, but I will tell you that is down the priority list.”
Outside of downtown, City of Raleigh crews also clear sidewalks around the city’s 28 community centers.
“Many residents rely on those community centers when the school system is shut down,” wrote Julia Milstead. “Safe access to those centers is vital.”
However, not all park amenities get cleared. Milstead says scraping snow and ice off more than 100 miles of greenway in Raleigh isn’t possible.
“Bringing in heavy equipment like snow plows is just not feasible and would damage the greenways that so many people enjoy on a daily basis,” she wrote.
For her part, Raleigh resident Kate Sanborn says she’d like to see the city do more to clear downtown sidewalks.
“Bare minimum, put some salt down,” said Sanborn. “Have someone out shoveling.”