Pedestrian life in Boulder is already quite miserable

If the City of Boulder is serious about pedestrian safety, it should plow all streets and enforce its 24-hour sidewalk/path snow removal policy. We pedestrians are dependent upon safe passage in order to walk to work, class, appointments, the bus stop, the grocery store, school with our children — you name it, we need to be able to walk there safely.

As it stands now, with every snowstorm, snow-covered surfaces turn to vast swaths of packed/glazed snow and/or ice. These hazardous surfaces include every unplowed street, every intersection (and, thus, pedestrian crosswalk) involving an unplowed street, every unshoveled sidewalk, every sidewalk intersecting with a driveway that was used prior to shoveling, inadequately plowed bike paths, entrance ramps to bike paths, and snow-packed pedestrian islands at traffic lights and marked pedestrian crossings. In addition to these hazards, crosswalks bordering plowed streets become blocked by snowbanks/ice fields left by plows. Even the Pearl Street Mall — a “pedestrian mall” — was covered with long stretches of ice/packed snow days after this last storm!

Recommendations:

1. For snow shoveling, rather than relying entirely on citizen reports of unshoveled sidewalks, travel down some of the longer streets (30th, Mohawk, Moorhead, Table Mesa, 9th, Pearl, the list goes on) and warn or ticket every property with unshoveled sidewalks.

2. The next time it snows, everyone involved with Boulder policy and budget decision-making should leave their cars at home and try going on foot everywhere they need to go for a week.

Simply put, during the winter, life as a pedestrian in Boulder is really quite miserable.

— Paula Vaughan, Boulder

Donald Trump is lacking in compassion or empathy

How dare he?

How dare Donald Trump blame President Obama, President Biden, Democrats, and diversity initiatives in the federal government for the tragic plane collision on Wednesday?

The passengers, crew members and soldiers who were killed in the worst airline disaster since 2001 were human beings. They were someone’s son or daughter. Someone’s husband or wife. Someone’s mother or father. Their deaths should be mourned. Not used to further Donald Trump’s political agenda. They are not political pawns.

The man’s ego and pathological lies obviously know no boundaries. Equally obvious, Donald Trump is completely lacking in compassion or empathy. I guess his overwhelming narcissism fills all the space instead.

— Carrie Kass, Longmont

Will I do good, or will I do nothing to help climate?

Climate change is putting our health at risk, and we are feeling its effects now. Have you ever felt the fear and helplessness of not being able to breathe during an asthma attack? I did just this weekend — and found myself in the ER, thankful for the privilege to eventually exhale. Literally.

Pollution chokes our air, worsening respiratory conditions like asthma. Investing in clean energy and reducing fossil fuel dependency will lead to healthier air quality and stronger communities. Climate change is more than an environmental issue; it is a public health crisis that demands immediate and coordinated action.

There are three real ways Congress can act in 2025 to make meaningful progress:1. Impose a carbon border tariff. With around 25% of global carbon pollution tied to trade, policies like this could have a huge global impact. (source: Trade and Climate Change, World Trade Organization.)

2. Pass bills and enact policies that support clean energy technology. Examples from 2024, such as the Energy Permitting Reform Act, already have significant bipartisan support.

3. Fund reforestation and wildfire mitigation. Bipartisan solutions in the Farm Bill and other legislation could advance reforestation and forest health initiatives.

Remember, the question is not: “Will I do harm or will I do good?” The question, when faced with a crisis as overwhelming as our climate and our future, is: “Will I do good, or will I do nothing?”

— Grace Trautman, Denver