It’s Been Tough Walking Around Battle Creek This Winter

This winter has been a challenging season to walk around the city of Battle Creek.  Even though our snowfall total to date is less than average, lots of sidewalks have not been cleared for pedestrians. The city takes care of sidewalks on city-owned properties, but residents and business owners are responsible to clear sidewalks on their property.

There are 300 miles of roads and streets in the city so that’s a lot of sidewalk mileage to clear. Since near the end of last month, city staff has initiated more than 200 code violation contacts. The city is targeting high traffic areas for enforcement, especially around neighborhood schools. If residents and businesses ignore the process which starts out as a friendly reminder, they face a civil infraction including a fine and might get called to stand in front of a judge to explain their lack of action.