Wednesday, March 27. 2019 // The Statement
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Wednesday, March 27, 2019 // The Statement 

W

alking 
home 
from 
down-
town 
Ann 
Arbor last month, I watched 
an elderly couple clutch-
ing one another, walking 
carefully and diligently to 
avoid falling on the slippery 
sidewalks. The man used his 
cane for as much support as possible, 
and the woman held onto his arm for 
more balance. I was only 20 feet behind 
them when suddenly, I was swept off my 
feet and landed on the asphalt of S. 4th 
Street. I hoped that the couple did not 
also experience a similar fate, falling 
from the same black ice.
It’s inevitable that living in Ann Arbor 
–– a Midwest city where winters feel like 
eons –– comes with horrific snow, ice 
and sleet storms. Nonetheless, as a city 
whose prime modes of transportation 
include walking, biking and bus-riding, 
the need for safe roads and sidewalks 
during winter conditions is inarguable.
In addition to safety, accessibility on 
campus and within the city is another 
priority. Noting the high population of 
pedestrians and bikers in Ann Arbor is 
essential when considering the main-
tenance of our sidewalks, crosswalks, 
ramps, streets and curbs. In my own 
experience navigating public walkways, 
I’ve been lucky to overlook obstacles 
like deep puddles, slippery sidewalks 
and snow-piled tactile blocks –– the red, 

bumpy blocks placed at 
the beginning and ends of 
sidewalks used for visu-
ally-impaired people. But 
regardless of the minor 
obstacles I may face, that 
experience does not equate 
to those who can’t pass 
through at all.
Mike Heinrich is an 
advocate for Americans 
with Disabilities Act rights 
and is someone who expe-
riences 
setbacks 
while 
commuting around Ann 
Arbor. Mike is also mem-
ber of the advocacy and 
community 
group 
Dis-
ability Culture at the Uni-
versity of Michigan — also 
known as DC @ U-M. Two 
years ago, Heinrich was 
paralyzed by a dead tree 
on the University’s campus that fell on him. 
Now as a quadriplegic, he seeks to educate 
himself and the community on ADA policies, 
regulations and violations. More importantly, 
Heinrich openly speaks of his experience and 
struggles with being a quadriplegic, especially 
during winter.
“Winter used to be my favorite season … this 
year, with each snow storm after snow storm, I 
realized that when I was trying to get out and 
do things, I couldn’t be independent with the 
walkways not being taken care of,” said Hein-
rich in an interview with The Daily. Though 
his parents could drive him and drop him off 
places Heinrich mentioned the difficulty of 
finding handicap spots along the road that are 
clear of snow pile-ups and accessible.
For those who are able-bodied, a few inches 
of snow is manageable –– surely a nuisance, but 
bearable. But what happens for those with dis-
abilities whose wheels, white canes, crutches, 
walkers and other commuter accessories can’t 
cross the street or feel tactile blocks? They 
cannot safely or efficiently get to where they 
need to go. A few inches of snow or a thin sheet 
of ice could change their entire day.
Traveling via wheelchair and handicap van, 
Heinrich’s experience commuting outside is 
highly dependent on weather. If it’s snowing 
or raining, he most likely won’t even go out-
side. This is due to the difficulty of traveling 
through snow and puddles, not to mention the 
difficulty of pushing his wheels with cold, wet 
hands.
“We (the disabled community) are directly 
affected by what happens on those sidewalks,” 

Heinrich said. “Not even just handicap people: 
The reality is no one should have to deal with 
that.”
Since being paralyzed, Heinrich has devot-
ed much of his time to speaking with city and 
campus administrators about Ann Arbor’s lack 
of accessibility. Many of his arguments address 
non-ADA approved doors, entrances, ramps, 
sidewalks, elevators, parking and bathrooms. 
However, winter maintenance and accessibil-
ity isn’t as easy as changing door handles to be 
ADA-approved. Improving the maintenance 
of public spaces during winter is a difficult 
puzzle with an array of pieces –– it begins 
with a closer examination of all the moving 
parts between city regulations and resources. 
A solution would require the rigorous efforts 
and collaboration with the city, outsourced 
companies, landlords, the U-M grounds crew, 
University students and Ann Arbor residents.
A

nn Arbor Code of Ordinances, 
Chapter 4 Section 58 A. “Sidewalk 
Maintenance” states, “all sidewalks 
within the city shall be kept and maintained 
in good repair by the owner of the land … if any 
owner shall neglect to keep and maintain the 
sidewalk … safe for the use of the public, the 
said owner shall be liable to the city for any 
damages … by reason of said sidewalk being 
unsafe and out of repair.” Further down in the 
section, it reads, “‘Sidewalk’ does not include 
curb ramps … that is both adjacent to the top 
edge of one or more curb ramps and at the cor-
ner of a property.” Essentially, street corners 
where tactile blocks and curb ramps are a few 
feet apart are not considered to be part of the 
“sidewalk.” If these spaces do not fit under the 
legal definition, then technically, by the lan-
guage of the ordinances, it is not the property 
owner’s responsibility to clear it.
However, Chapter 4 Section 60 #6 of the 
Ordinances –– titled “Removal of snow and ice 
from sidewalks, walks, and ramps” –– says that 
“compliance with this section requires mak-
ing sidewalks, walks, and ramps free of snow 
and ice for their entire constructed width 
and length.” In other words, the entirety of a 
sidewalk and/or ramp should include the curb 
ramps and tactile blocks, considering that is 
the start to the sidewalk. Thus, the language in 
Section 60 contradicts the ordinance’s descrip-
tions in Section 58 on how and where sidewalk 
maintenance happens.
Some non-residential properties downtown 
can afford outsourced companies that have the 
machinery, staffing and finances to do an effi-
cient job at clearing sidewalks and curb cuts. 
Meanwhile, some property owners manually 
shovel and salt on their own.

To break down who is responsible for side-
walk maintenance and when, Section 60 
states that non-residential property (down-
town businesses, restaurants, etc.) will need to 
clear their “sidewalk” and “walks and ramps 
that are at bus stops or that lead to marked 
or unmarked crosswalks” by noon that day if 
snow is accumulated prior to 6 a.m. If a prop-
erty is residential, the owner has “24 hours 
after the end of each accumulation of snow 
greater than 1 inch” to do the same. Not only 
do non-residential businesses have six hours 
to clear their sidewalks and ramps, but resi-
dential properties have a whole 24 hours. For 

those commuting by 9 a.m. the morning of a 
snowfall, they cannot afford to wait until noon 
or even the next day to ensure safe conditions 
for travel.
If everybody is doing their part and follow-
ing the policies set by the city, why do we still 
have so many winter maintenance problems? 
The answer is simple, harsh and true: We, as 
a community are failing to meet the necessary 
standards for the disabled community. That’s 
where Community Standards comes in.
Community Standards is a unit in the Ann 
Arbor Police Department that has a “primary 
responsibility to enforce the city codes and 
ordinances that protect the public health, wel-
fare and safety of the residents.”
A2 Fix It is an app that allows community 
members to “report locations which may be in 
violation of the city snow removal ordinance.” 
From there, Community Standards staff will 
“perform an inspection,” and if the property or 
area does propose a violation, “they will then 
inspect all addresses” within the appropriate 
block “to ensure equitable treatment.”
Jessie Rogers, Community Standards super-
visor, discussed with me the logistics of their 
winter maintenance procedures and the code 

of ordinances. Rogers explained that if a prop-
erty does not do their maintenance procedure 
by noon on the day of a storm and there ends up 
being a complaint from a citizen, a representa-
tive from Community Standards will come to 
investigate the property. If their property is 
in violation, Community Standards will give a 
warning (allowed one per season).
If the violation is not treated after warning, 
Community Standards will come again, fine 
the property and fix the maintenance issue 
that was initially reported. That property may 
then receive a civil infraction ticket that is “no 
more than $100.00” according to Section 4:60 
#11. These fines can grow in numbers up to 
$1000 if violations are further ignored.
Luckily, representatives from Community 
Standards are the ones who come 
solve the issue, but only if someone in 
the community makes the complaint. 
Otherwise, they simply hope city resi-
dents are following protocol. And to 
make matters more complicated, Rog-
ers said even when they do come, it’s 
not always a smooth or fast process. 
By the time a report is made, faxed 
over to the office, sent out to a driver 
and maintenance person and someone 
finally arrives at the scene, the situ-
ation could have grown worse, with 
more snow or ice further aggravating 
the original problem.
Additionally, 
while 
Community 
Standards does fix the city’s problems, 
they don’t always have the staff or 
funds to be as efficient and effective as they’d 
like to be: “(We are) too understaffed to always 
be proactive,” Rogers said.
These winter maintenance problems, how-
ever, should not fall on the shoulders of the 
Community Standards organization. Though 
I am grateful for Community Standard’s 
assistance to clear sidewalks, the concept of 
treatment is not as powerful as prevention. 
Treatment implies a long chain of events that 
relies on many external moving parts to help 
resolve the issues. Meanwhile, preventing the 
problems is set at the beginning: the initial 
action of shoveling and salting.
The concerns are embedded within text 
and action: what the ordinances demand of its 
citizens and how and if its citizens are com-
plying. Though some of the policy language 
feels vague, confusing and almost hypocritical 
upon reading (see: curb ramps not being con-
sidered part of the sidewalk), it doesn’t excuse 
the community to settle into inaccessible prac-
tices. These are spaces that commuters use all 
day, every day, and hence, they should be pri-
oritized for winter maintenance.

BY ERIKA SHEVCHEK, DAILY ARTS WRITER

Clearing the in-betweens: Navigating 
accessibility during winter maintenance

“‘Do you know how 
much salt it would take 
for campus to never be 
slippery during an ice 
storm?’”

See CLEARING, Page 6B

Image of a snow-covered tactile block at a crosswalk on Hill and Olivia at 12:20 PM

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERIKA SHEVCHEK

Sidewalk on Washtenaw and S. Forest shoveled just big enough for 
a bike tire, 4:32 PM

Snow-blocked tactile block and curb ramp on South U. and 
Church, 8:00 AM 

Person walking over snow-piled curb cut and tactile due to snow widening on 
South University, 8:05 AM 

Snow-covered path in the Law Quad, 8:00 AM