MILWAUKEE — After sleet and snow covered Southeast Wisconsin, there is a push for everyone to clear their sidewalks and curb ramps to help neighbors who rely on the public walkways.
TMJ4 News watched as one woman used her walker in the middle of a Milwaukee side street as the nearby sidewalk was only half clear.
"You are impacting the lives of your neighbors if you don't clear them off," said resident Christina Frain.
Frain and her husband live on Milwaukee's east side because they can walk to pretty much everywhere they need to go, but during the snowy months, it is tougher to get around.
"It is really, really uncomfortable in a lot of places. You have blocks where one house has cleared the sidewalk. The next house hasn't so you've got a patchwork," Frain said.
Frain thinks about her mom who needs to use a wheelchair when she visits.
"If she were here now, we would be stuck in the house," Frain shared.
Residents across the city said where the sidewalks meet the road are the worst, considering plows have nowhere else to push the snow and people do not keep the cut-through clear.
Marybeth McGinnis has been advocating for pedestrian safety and education with the Wisconsin Bike Fed's Milwaukee Walks program.
"If you have that corner lot, it is your responsibility even when the plows come through to dig out the curb ramps," McGinnis said.
A City of Milwaukee ordinance requires sidewalks to be clear 24 hours after snow stops falling. Violators could get a $50 fine. For repeat offenders, the city may call a contractor to clean it up and send the bill to the violator.
"There was one section before I got there that was just completely unclear and it was not even there was just no chance I can be pushing a stroller over it," Erin Megemity said while recalling a walk with her family.
Megemity knows the frustration. She, her husband, and two young kids mainly get around by walking or public transportation. Now that they have one child under the age of one, they use a stroller.
"It's made me a lot more cognizant of what it's like to get around when it's not just one able-bodied adult," Megemity said.
Both Megemity and Frain feel grateful that they are able to walk, but hope neighbors will look out for those who have a tougher time.