Petitions Accepted Through April 1
Recent winters have become the good old fashioned kind, with plenty of snow and cold. Its during winters like these that we get many inquiries about trail and sidewalk plowing.
Staff and the City Council work hard to balance the requests of the community with the cost of additional plowing. The first priority for our snow removal crews is to keep the streets safe for the public. After roadway snow removal operations are complete, crews turn their attention to the trails and sidewalks.
Currently, we plow approximately 70% (or 88 miles) of the total 128 miles of boulevard trails and sidewalks.
To best align our resources with community wants and needs, residents can request new segments for the City’s plow route each spring, to be considered for the following winter season. The following criteria are used to determine whether a segment of sidewalk/trail is included in the winter trail maintenance program:
- Trails along major arterial roads. These are roads with 4+ lanes, high traffic volumes and speed limits of 45 mph or higher.
- Trails along major collector streets. These are roads with 2 traffic lanes (with safety lanes/shoulders) or 4 traffic lanes with medium traffic volumes and speed limits from 35-45 mph.
- Trails along minor collector streets. These are local streets of about 1 mile in length with 2 traffic lanes (with safety lanes/shoulders), with slightly lower volumes of traffic and speed limits of 35 mph or greater.
- Local school walking routes. These are trails and sidewalks that are relied upon by the school for kids that are considered “walkers” by their bus transportation policy.
- Transit routes. These are trails and sidewalks located along scheduled MVTA/Redline bus routes with designated stops (with signs, shelters, benches, or stations) maintained
by MVTA and also located in high-density residential areas, retail centers, or employment centers.
Want to try and add a segment? Here’s how:
- First, get a preliminary check by our Streets staff to see if the trail/sidewalk you are requesting meets the criteria as listed above. You can do this by either
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling us at (651) 675-5300 during normal business hours. Make sure to include the location of the segment (to and from) and the reason you would like the segment added to our plow route. - Once the preliminary check is completed by Streets staff you will be contacted. If it meets the criteria then you can download the petition to add your segment and collect signatures from at least 50 properties lying within 1/2 mile of the segment.
- Please
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the completed petition with the signature sheet, or send it to 3501 Coachman Point, 55122 no later than April 1.
The City Council will discuss the petitions for the following winter, during their first meeting each June.
