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Residents tell Bike Walk Commission sidewalks remain uncleared after snow, urge enforcement and targeted outreach
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Summary
At the Jan. 5 meeting, public commenters said uncleared sidewalks near schools forced children into streets, criticized businesses for not clearing sidewalks, and urged outreach that reaches non-social-media audiences; commissioners and Watch for Me CT responded with process steps and partnership offers.
Two Norwalk residents used the commission's public-participation period on Jan. 5 to raise safety and maintenance concerns that they said affect pedestrians and schoolchildren.
Nora described multiple school-area sidewalks (Fox Run, Brian McMahon, Norwalk High) still uncleared after a recent snowstorm, saying children who live a short walk from school were forced to walk in the street. She told the commission she had contacted a local McDonald's location and McDonald's corporate but saw no prompt cleanup. Nora framed the issue as an equity problem for residents who rely on sidewalks for commutes to jobs and asked what local enforcement or recourse exists.
Commission staff and Amy Watkins of Watch for Me CT responded that the city's 'click-and-request' customer-service app is the formal way to create a record and route sidewalk-maintenance or signal-timing issues to the proper department. Watkins said Watch for Me CT can bring Safe Routes to School partners and bilingual outreach materials to local events and acknowledged that social media alone often misses the audiences who most need safety messaging.
Another commenter, Morris Redd, recommended outreach to parents of youth riding dangerously and suggested community events (helmet giveaways, a planned 5K/bike-walk he is organizing in memory of Gregory Burnett) as ways to promote safety and reach new audiences. Watch for Me CT offered to attend events, provide bike lights and helmets, and share e-bike safety information for parents.
Chair and staff noted next steps: residents should submit photos and requests via the city's click-and-request app so the city has a record and can route the problem to maintenance or the signal team; the commission will consider sidewalk snow-removal education and pedestrian-signal timing as future agenda items.
Ending: Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and signaled willingness to add sidewalk maintenance and signal timing to future agendas while coordinating event outreach with Watch for Me CT and other partners.
