As I carefully progress through the drop-off line, I slowly begin to accept my fate: I won’t be escaping the car anytime soon. A family ahead attempts to push their car through the streets covered in snow, and to my left, a student engages in a losing battle with the ice while trying to parallel park. That snowy school day, I not only gained another tardy mark on the attendance sheet but a frustration toward the unplowed streets around the University of Chicago.

The university must better recognize the abundant unplowed roads after snowstorms and implement more effective strategies toward ensuring they are cleared, so families can reach their destination in a safe and timely manner.

In Chicago, snow removal is managed by the city and by individual property owners. The City of Chicago has responsibility for the public right-of-way. On campus, the Chicago Park District and UChicago Facilities Services oversee the clearance of certain paths.

However, the day after the Feb. 2 winter storm that closed campus, I remember driving to campus and struggling to manage through 58th Street, which remained unplowed throughout my school day. I began to wonder why no immediate actions were taken to remove the snow, despite the clear unsafe driving conditions. 

Whiteout conditions make travel extremely dangerous, if not impossible. Particularly when driving on ice or snow, drivers can lose total control of a vehicle, which makes crashes more likely to occur. According to a 2020 Federal Highway Administration report, over 1,300 people are killed and more than 116,800 people are injured in vehicle crashes on snowy, slushy or icy pavement annually. 

Given Lab’s history of rarely closing campus after or during winter storms, families must drive on ice and snow-covered roads to arrive at school, and thus are risking the possibility of being in a crash. Therefore, the university, Chicago Park District and City of Chicago must discuss ways in which the university can better plow all of their roads so families can feel safe going to and from school.