I just saw an elementary school kid fall really hard on the sidewalk when he was walking on the road because the sidewalks weren't cleared yet. He hustled to get off the road to avoid a car so he jumped onto the sidewalk and fell on a sheet of ice! Real safe! (On the corner of Summer and Lyman.)

OMG that is unnacceptable. I am praying all the kids and parents are safe!!!!

I live on Myrtle St. Whittemore Elementary is at the end (Myrtle and Parmenter). There is always a crossing guard at Myrtle and Lowell. This morning, there are two. One is directing traffic. The other is walking these little children down the middle of the street because there are no sidewalks for them to walk on. Combine that with icy conditions, parked cars taking up lots of free space making it hard for cars to pass, and it is scary out there.

Stunned that Waltham finds this an acceptable situation, and fail to understand why the sidewalks aren't clear. Myrtle is a little residential street, but with an elementary school at the end, you'd think they'd want to try to clear the sidewalks.

The problem, aside from a poor job of plowing, is our sidewalks. Busineses, homeowners, tenants and landlords need to step up and clear the sidewalks in front of their respective buildings. I understand that if we created an ordinance (say with a 100$ fine per day) we would need someone to enforce it, but wouldn't it ultimately make sense?

Not a smart decision Waltham to open school.. 3 kids just fell on ice at my kids bus stop and 2 almost got hit by a car because we had to stand in the middle of the street... Corner of sunny side and south st.. If Waltham can't clean that area maybe I should call my dad who has a big plowing business to come with his bobcat and backhoe and do it for me and send the bill to the mayor??

I am disgusted by the conditions of the sidewalks in this city. No wonder the Mayor and CPW doesnt care, most residents dont care about clearing sidewalks.

Why, this many days after a storm, our main roads like Totten Pond and Main St near City Hall arent back to full width and every sidewalk cleared enough for people to walk on? I know this problem isnt just waltham -Middlesex Tpke in Burlington is the same- but how do we fix this? This is completely unacceptable. Time to make it law to fine residents and businesses who do not clear their sidewalk within 24 hours of a storm.

City never made it to Trapelo to clear the mountains left by their crews. Someone, probably a taxpayer, dug out a small walkway at Leitha, but the mounds are just too big and too iced over for a human to tackle. We need Bobcats. Saw two middle schoolers scaling an 8' ice mountain to get to a place to wait for the bus. They helped each other, which was nice, but they shouldn't have to.

There is some fair criticism here, and some foolishness. This was a significant storm.

Kids falling... really? I almost fell walking down my own front path to my car. Does that mean I shouldn't go to work? This is a case where everyone needs to toughen up a bit. Anyone who expected the city to have every sidewalk cleared after this caliber of storm is fooling themselves. Anyone who thinks we should just shutdown our daily lives until the mayor can lay down a red carpet on every cowpath is town is worse. It's up to property owners to clear their sidewalks. Waltham doesn't have the equipment to clear every sidewalk and we don't want Waltham to have this equipment sitting around. Especially after the snow-less year we had in 2012. What a waste of money that would be.

The roads should have been clear by Monday night, and most were. I drove into Boston and back Sunday night and had minimal problems. I'm sure side roads were still clogged, and I think the specific contractors assigned to those areas should be fired. I had no problems in my neighborhood, and I'm sure other contractors did just as well considering the volume of snow. I have no problem comparing the snow removal policies of neighboring towns, but lets look at it in an overview rather than street by street. By now, there is no excuse for a MAJOR road to be narrowed by snowbanks and every side road should at least be navigable. If that isn't the case, then someone needs to be held accountable.

Well said theclefe

Complain if schools are open, complain if schools are closed. You people just need something to b*#@& about.

I agree in part with you theclefe. Your analogy of you falling and not going to work is a bit out there. The biggest problem is having kids have to walk on the street to get to school. Unless you are 4 feet tall or shorter you would be have an advantage over most of the kids who walk to school. Some of the snow banks at intersections are taller than four feet making it precarious for them to walk. You've seen how people drive in this city (and everywhere for that matter). Would you trust them in being able to see your child?