Grid Shots: Cycling snow commute

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“A bicyclist hauling it in Edgewater, in the midst of the snowstorm. On Broadway just north of Granville.” Photo by Joseph Dennis. 

I was home during the snow storm on Friday and I read people’s commute experiences on various social networks. Here are some photos to celebrate the successful and less successful rides on the bicycle. Continue reading Grid Shots: Cycling snow commute

Shovel it: How two ideas plan to impact sidewalk snow removal this winter

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A woman walks in the street after snowmageddon 2011. The City administration wants to avoid forcing people to walk in the street. Photo by Jim Watkins.

Mayor Emanuel announced on Tuesday, in a press release, a new website and effort to address snow shoveling and removal problems. The complete effort is packaged nicely on ChicagoShovels.org. It has many features, and I’ll focus on three (only one of which is available right now):

  • Plow Tracker – When there’s a snow storm, the position of every snow plow will be tracked and published on a map. See Plow Tracker in action.
  • Adopt-A-Sidewalk – Claim a portion of the sidewalk that you’ll shovel, and share your equipment with neighbors (coming soon).
  • Snow Corps – Become a volunteer to shovel the sidewalk and door path to seniors and people who are disabled who call 311 to request a volunteer.

Continue reading Shovel it: How two ideas plan to impact sidewalk snow removal this winter