A Flurry of Snow-Related Journalism

Way back at the beginning of the month, we implored people to tend to their sidewalks. While the Herald has been on this story from the first snow, somebody at the Globe must have finally slipped on Morrissey Boulevard and decided they’d had enough of the icy conditions.

And, of course, WBZ’s Dan Robichaud gets the snow-related quote of the year from City Councilor Chuck Turner.

The Herald asks us to think of the children. Charlestown students have had to walk in the streets since a wayward plow heaped snow back on the sidewalks a custodian had already cleared.

“We sent someone out there and they are going to have to get a (special) piece of machinery out there to remove the ice,” said [Boston Public Schools Spokesman Jonathan] Palumbo, adding that the work was expected to be done last night.

That’s all very unfortunate, but we don’t feel too bad for the kids. They’re young and heal quickly. The Globe shares our sentiment, instead focusing on the things that really matter—tourists and college students.

. . . [I]t was a different scene in front of the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, where joggers and tourists risked life and limb to traverse one of the city’s favorite parks. Caked with trampled snow and ice, the park’s walkways were better suited to dog sleds than running shoes.

“In the city it’s OK, but around here . . . it’s not so good,” said Corina Wuthrich, who was attempting to show off the city to two friends from Spain.

At the Fenway yesterday afternoon, the Park Drive side of the park was cleared, while the Charlesgate side was glacierlike.

“There’s no salt or dirt or anything,” said Lindsay Cloutier, a Boston University student who passes through the park nearly every day on her way to and from school. “It doesn’t make it easy for those of us who walk a lot.”

Shouldn’t we have plans in place for snow? It’s not like we live below the Mason-Dixon line. Frozen precipitation is a harsh reality for the area for most of the year.

Which is advice City Councilor Chuck Turner should take, since he’s just begging for a failure to shovel violation. We pointed this out in our roundup, but we want to give you more wisdom from the man himself.

The law is the law, but the reality is that the cultural practice is not to use the sidewalks, even when the snow isn’t there.

The reality is that if I have to pay a ticket, I have to pay a ticket, so I have no problems with city inspectors coming by and ticketing me because I didn’t do it in this particular case.

Councilor Turner: the one man who isn’t pointing fingers. We salute you, sir.