Residents of Allston say snow is unsafe

The endless lakes of semi-frozen slush between sidewalks are an unfortunate part of winter life in New England, but some Allston-Brighton residents said the slush this year has become unbearable due to less-than-thorough snowplows.

Many residents said they are unhappy with the way snowplows are clearing the Allston-Brighton area, which frequently leaves the roads far too slushy and oftentimes dangerous for travelers.

‘I noticed a truck going by today early, but that’s the first time I’ve ever seen a plow truck on this street,’ College of Communication junior Catherine Jussel said.

Jussel, a resident of Pratt Street in Allston, said the roads in her neighborhood, an area largely inhabited by college students, are rarely ever clear. This can create a hazard for drivers on Allston’s streets, she said.

‘There are tire marks on the sidewalk by our house from someone sliding out,’ Jussel said.

Though any unplowed streets in residential areas are unintentional, they are not the first stop for city plows, Mayor Thomas Menino’s spokesman Nick Martin said.

‘The city’s main focus is clearing the main arterials so traffic can flow,’ he said. ‘But the city makes an effort to get out ahead of time as much as possible.’

As of press time, mayor’s office Storm Center Hotline officials said no one had called from the Allston-Brighton area to report a lack of plowing for Tuesday night’s storm.

The Massachusetts Highway Department is responsible for some of the main roadways in Boston, few of which run through Allston-Brighton, spokesman Adam Hurtubise said.

‘Routes that are numbered routes that are statewide routes are Mass Highway routes,’ Hurtubise said. ‘Generally, roads that have street names, like Commonwealth Avenue, are City of Boston routes.’

Boston’s Chief of Public Works and Transportation Dennis Royer said the city has 74 pieces of snow clearing equipment that it operates, and the ability to bring in up to 600 pieces through contracts the city has with 10 private contractors.

Clearing large amounts of snow can still be tough, Royer, who had to dispatch all 600 units during a snowstorm last December, said.

‘We put the Friday snow emergency into place, and then one Saturday, we were supposed to have no snow and a break until Sunday, and it ended up snowing through Saturday and into Sunday,’ he said. ‘It was a 53-hour callout for us.’

Royer said the city will normally salt roads ahead of a storm, especially if it looks like it’s going to be icy.

‘If we know we’re going to get accumulation, particularly if we’re going to get freezing, we start salting before it snows,’ Royer said. ‘We get salt down on the major arterials [and] on the hills.’

This does not do anything to help fix one of the biggest problems that Allston-Brighton residents face, Abigail Furey, the co-chairwoman of Brighton Neighbors United, said. Though she has not heard any complaints about unplowed roads, Furey said the slippery and uneven sidewalks in the neighborhoods could be a problem.

‘Most of these instances are absentee landlords and student renters who fail to take care of the shoveling,’ Furey said.

Royer said sidewalks are the responsibility of the adjoining property owner to keep clear.

‘It’s not just residential areas. That’s any street in the city of Boston,’ Royer said. ‘If it’s an arterial, there are businesses. The businesses are responsible.’

This ordinance has caused problems for some Allston-Brighton residents, including Jussel.

‘I’ve fallen three times this winter,’ Jussel said.