On New Year’s Day and Eve, downtown Northampton welcomed thousands of people to our Main Street. They were greeted by piles of snow in the middle of Main Street. Of course, this is nothing new for our city. Other communities manage to clear their snow speedily and properly.
Aside from leftover snow being an eyesore, more importantly it is a safety hazard. Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra claims that we must undergo a major renovation of Main Street, which would narrow the street, reduce traffic lanes and eliminate about a third of the parking in the name of “safety.”
However, allowing mountains of snow to remain piled on Main Street, impedes sight lines for pedestrians, bikers and motorists. If the city is so concerned about safety, why would the city allow snow to remain piled on Main Street until it melts while it obstructs sight lines for everyone?
Under the city’s proposed redesign of Main Street, the city acknowledges that they will not be able to continue to pile snow into the middle of the road since they would be narrowing Main Street. We are told that after the proposed renovation, the city suddenly will be able to clear snow from Main Street and not leave it there until it melts. If that is the case, ask yourself if the city currently has the ability to clear snow in a timely manner from Main Street, why are they not doing it now? Why would they wait until after the proposed redesign? It seems that safety is not a priority for the city and it is being used as a pretext for Picture Main Street.
Svetlana Speyer
Northampton