[NFBSea] Letter to City Council about snow removal priorities

[Anna Letitia Zivarts]

Yesterday, Rooted in Rights sent the following letter to City Council
requesting they investigate how the city prioritizes snow removal and how
that impacts people with disabilities.

We have sign-on from some other transportation and disability orgs, but are
looking for more endorsements as we put pressure on the City Council to
hold a hearing. If NFB Seattle would be interested in adding your name to
this letter, let me know, or if anyone is part of other groups who might
want to sign on, we would be happy to have that support. We really think
that it is possible for the City to come up with a plan that does a better
job of including the needs of disabled people when there are snow events,
and we think this could establish an important precedent for the City to
value our mobility needs yearround.


Dear Members of Seattle City Council:

We are writing to request that the City Council investigate the City’s
response to our most recent snow events, in particular how the city’s
priorities around snow clearance impacted people with disabilities.

While Seattle has designated emerald and gold routes for snow clearance
from roadways and a real-time map of roads that have been cleared, there is
no parallel plan for sidewalk, curb ramp,or transit stop snow removal. This
leaves those of us who can’t drive or those of us who rely on accessible
sidewalks, intersections, and transit stops without any mobility options.

While major snow events in Seattle don’t occur every day, as our city faces
a more uncertain climate future it is important that we establish emergency
response protocols that include disabled people and other vulnerable users.
An inclusive emergency preparedness plan must be a priority as our city
strives to become more resilient.

We request that the City Council convene a hearing to evaluate the City’s
snow response, and invite representatives from SDOT, Sound Transit, and
King County Metro, as well as disabled residents to discuss Seattle’s
priorities for snow removal.

Sincerely,



Rooted in Rights/Disability Rights Washington

Washington Civil & Disability Advocate

Seattle 500 Women Scientists

Transit Riders Union

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways

Feet First

The Urbanist



Cc. Pedestrian Advisory Board, Bicycle Advisory Board, Transit Advisory
Board,Citizens Accessibility Advisory Committee Sound Transit, Pedestrian
Access Advisory Committee, Seattle Commission for People with DisAbilities.
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