For the first snow event of the 2018-2019 season, a parking ban was not issued. Civilization did not screech to a halt. Most of what was not plowed melted off within 24 hours of the storm’s end.

We can do with more of this.

How much public money is spent during the over-the-top snow parking bans that have become the norm in recent years? There are the blue lights at key intersections. Signs denoting public parking. Time spent writing (editing and sending) press releases announcing the bans. Text alerts. Information posted to social media. Robocalls— are those still a thing? Then, there’s the practice of police driving through neighborhoods, announcing the parking ban. Even with all these efforts, some folks claim to have no idea one had been announced. After a grace period, ticketing and towing begins, which means police, again.

It’s hard to get to every last street, I imagine. The practice could be smarter — focusing efforts on narrower-than-average roads like the stretch of Sigourney between Farmington and Albany. There could be less outreach, letting people deal with towing without a billion warnings because we are in New England where snow can be expected from November through March.

Or, there could be simply less worry about roads becoming temporarily inconvenient.

Think about how winter is experienced as a pedestrian who needs to walk places outside of Downtown. Our paths, when shoveled at all, often come to an abrupt halt by virtue of giant snow piles being pushed across sidewalks by those who do not know or care about those who rely on the space. Sidewalks are not always cleared edge-to-edge. Those annoying mattresses? Still there, partially or fully blocking the path.

When we reach intersections, more often than not, the curb cuts have not been shoveled, which means either walking in the street until we can find a way back, or, going up and over. Not everyone is physically able to do the icy climb. Try this with a foldable grocery cart, baby carriage, or mobility device. Either way, none of this is happening in a pedestrian-only paradise. No, we are slipping around while motorists run red lights, drive at unsafe speeds, and wait until the last minute to hit the brakes.

This is all inconvenient at best, dangerous as worst.

Is there nearly the effort to remind property owners to remove snow and ice? There are ordinances; theoretically, deadbeat property owners could be fined. In 1940, West Hartford went so far as to arrest seventeen individuals who neglected their sidewalk clearing responsibilities. Predictably, people will resist so much as a fine.

So, if nothing else, can we level the playing field and get car commuters to accept the annoyance that those of us on foot have come to expect?