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Residents and transit advocates urge city action on snow-blocked bus stops and accessibility
Summary
Public commenters told the Safety Committee that snow and ice are creating 'mounds' at bus stops and shelters that block boarding, and transit advocates asked the city to coordinate DPW, General Services and DDOT to prevent ADA access violations; the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department said it would investigate specific locations.
Public commenters at the Detroit City Council Safety Standing Committee meeting on Feb. 9 urged the city to act after repeated reports that snow and ice have rendered bus stops unusable.
Transit advocate Renard Meschevsky, a member of the Transit Justice Organizer team, told the committee that crews repeatedly leave "ice mountains" at stops and shelters, creating unsafe boarding conditions for seniors and people with disabilities. "If someone cannot access the bus and they got a disability because somebody didn't want to plow the snow at the front of the bus stop, you're legally stopping people from boarding the bus because of their disability," he said. He urged a coordinated plan between the Department of Public Works, General Services and DDOT rather than relying on thousands of individual complaints.
Other callers described similar problems. Dr. Denise Darnell reported a "2 to 3 foot" pile of ice blocking a driving lane near 5100 East Nevada, which she said forced her briefly into oncoming traffic and might be the result of a water-main break. Brother Cunningham urged council members to inspect bus stops across districts and asked for donations of bus tickets and hand warmers for people relying on transit.
Deputy Director Sam Smalley of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department told the committee his office checked its work-order system and found no call for the 5100 East Nevada site; he said his staff would send an investigative crew if the location has not been reported. Smalley also described regular coordination with DPW on salting and ice removal and said issues not tied to water mains would be referred to DPW.
The committee did not adopt a new ordinance at the session but several members, including the vice chair, expressed interest in a more systematic approach. The chair noted that the administration is listening and asked staff to follow up on reported sites.
The public-comment portion of the meeting featured numerous similar accessibility and maintenance complaints; the committee recessed to handle a 1:30 p.m. dangerous-buildings docket that lists about 50 homes.
