By Karyna Cheung and Sangmin Song
Some Cambridge business owners have expressed frustration with the city’s snow removal efforts, with loading zones and customer parking spaces taking weeks to clear.
Massachusetts got its biggest snowstorm in years Jan. 25, dropping 21 inches of snow on parts of Cambridge. Public schools and businesses in Cambridge were closed for days.
Two weeks after the storm, some Cambridge businesses owners have yet to see the snow removed from their street-side loading zones and parking spaces.
Several snow piles surround the Toscanini’s ice cream shop in Kendall Square, and the loading zone on Rogers Street is not plowed. Without cleared loading zones, drivers are taking risks by parking in the street outside the store and rushing to deliver and pick up shipments.
“We have to load and unload ingredients and finished products,” said Toscanini’s owner Gus Rancatore. “Without loading zones, it becomes incredibly difficult.”
Many metered parking spaces in the area are crowded with snow. Some of Rancatore’s customers said they were unsatisfied with the city’s snow removal efforts.
“There’s municipal expectations that you have [regarding snow removals], especially in metered parking spots,” said Cambridge resident Jill Wohl.
Jeremy Blaustein, general manager of gourmet grocery store Formaggio Kitchen, said its loading zone was almost entirely covered in snow and he made multiple requests to the city to get it cleared.
“We did ask the city in a couple of different ways, and someone asked on behalf of both of our Cambridge stores, and I also put the message to my city contact,” Blaustein said. “People just kind of dug out when they dug out the other areas. A lot of them were just snowbanks for at least close to a week.”
Blaustein said some customers dug out spaces for parking, which he considered unsafe.
“You’re taking your vehicle and your life into your own hands,” Blaustein said. “You see people doing [that] all over the city, because I don’t know what else you’re going to do.”
Jennifer Mathews, deputy commissioner of Cambridge Department of Public Works, wrote in an email that DPW’s first focus is clearing up the streets and transportation routes.
“DPW prioritizes safe travel lanes and pedestrian access during snow operations,” Mathews wrote. “Loading zones are distinct from these travel lanes and our snow operations do not specifically involve clearing loading zones (or parking spaces).”
Mathews wrote some loading zones can be cleared during DPW’s snow removal operations, though they are being cleared as part of the overall pedestrian and bus stop operations. “When we get 6 inches of snow or more, DPW will do a snow hauling operation on main thoroughfares, which would typically clear the loading zones on those main access streets as part of the overall operation,” Mathews wrote. “But other loading zones and commercial delivery areas have historically been the business’ responsibility to clear, and we haven’t received many complaints or requests on them so far this season.”
Matthews added that the city has not “historically done the loading zones regardless of the street-side or non street-side distinction.”
Rancatore said the city has been quicker in the past with snow removal after storms. In addition to loading zones and parking spaces, snow plowed from the streets has piled on street corners pedestrians use, which Harvard Square Business Association Executive Director Denise Jillson has received complaints about from several business owners.
“The city’s responsibility, in our mind, should be in their business districts, where there’s lots of foot traffic and lots of small businesses in particular depending on that foot traffic,” Jillson said.
Josh Huggard, owner of Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage at Harvard Square, said he didn’t face any problems after the snow. Harvard University owns the restaurant building and is required to remove snow from any property it owns.
“Harvard is good about getting their snow people out there, as well as the city of Cambridge in tandem,” Huggard said. “I think they did a good job what they could do in a small, compact area like Harvard Square.”
Huggard said people should acknowledge the fact that the city could have a hard time figuring out where to put the snow.
“People gotta realize that this is the worst winter we’ve had in a long time, and people are working hard,” he said. “I’m not an advocate for city workers, but I’m just saying sometimes people need to put themselves in their shoes.”
This story is part of a partnership between Cambridge Day and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
This story was updated to correct Denise Jillson’s title.