This morning I was struck by the story of James Robertson –
a 56-year-old Detroit man who walks nearly eight hours a day to get to his job
at a factory 23 miles from home. Mr
Robertson has been without a car for nearly decade, making his dedication as
admirable as his stamina. He only
accepts a ride when the weather is bad.
But what happens to people like Mr Robertson when the bad
weather has cleared and all that remains are piles and piles of snow covered in
ice? The same exact thing that happens to Long Islanders without vehicles: they
are forced to climb mountains and dodge
bullets.
Not literally – but still just as dramatic.
To understand what I mean, check out your neighborhood after a storm (we just had one so you have plenty of material to work with right now). Look at the sidewalks on major roadways and the sidewalks on residential blocks and don’t forget the sidewalks that lead to elementary, middle and high schools. (After all, our school-aged children account for a big chunk of the Island’s car-less).
What do these pathways have in common? They no longer exist. These pathways are now covered in snow and ice.
To understand what I mean, check out your neighborhood after a storm (we just had one so you have plenty of material to work with right now). Look at the sidewalks on major roadways and the sidewalks on residential blocks and don’t forget the sidewalks that lead to elementary, middle and high schools. (After all, our school-aged children account for a big chunk of the Island’s car-less).
What do these pathways have in common? They no longer exist. These pathways are now covered in snow and ice.
Now imagine navigating through that mess of un-shoveled
sidewalks. You look ahead at the snow beneath you and it’s marked with the deep
footprints of the people before you who walked from sidewalk to street to
sidewalk again in an effort to find the least dangerous route. You choose to
take a path of your own and your feet sink into the snow so you raise your knees
to your gut with each step. Pair that confusion with speeding cars and the
knowledge that at any minute one of those cars could lose control on a patch of
black ice and ram right into you and there’s no car to protect you from the hit.
Many people, including Mr Robertson rely on their feet as
well as public transportation to get where they need to go. So for that matter,
take a look at our bus stops. The few
bus stops that have been paved of snow
are also boxed in by snow, forcing
riders to maneuver over hills that are often a foot or two high in order to get
inside of the bus once it has stopped. For an able-bodied person this can be
done rather easily, albeit with annoyance.
But how do the elderly make their way over these hills? Or people with disabilities? In truth, it’s
really not safe for anyone.
There are many Long Islanders like Mr Robertson who will
find any way to get where they need to go. We need to make that journey safer
for them.
If people shovel the walkways in front of their homes a lot
of the issues with navigation can be solved.
The same goes for un-shoveled businesses. Municipalities who aren’t
doing their share of the shoveling need to get with the program because there
are too many people who rely on you – you need to take that seriously.
We can work together to make Long Island a better place for everyone.
We can work together to make Long Island a better place for everyone.
