A snowstorm brought lots of excitement for many of us two weeks ago on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The potential for a snow day brought out the child in everyone. Likewise, when classes were not canceled Wednesday, many of us decided to take a snow day from our classes anyway. However, after the initial excitement subsided and the snow turned to rain and slush, it became one of the worst days, in regards to weather, ever.
As the snow and ice melted during the afternoon rain, gutters and sidewalks turned into rivers and ponds. Without a raft, nobody was going too far. The water on the sidewalks along the Cabot Physical Education Center side of Huntington Avenue was at least four inches deep and virtually impassable.
However, I decided to try my luck and wade through the moat that had formed. Bad call. I got about halfway through and was rather pleased with my progress, and then the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ruined everything. Without warning, a city bus flew by, hit a puddle and sprayed most of that puddle on me. The bus had an open lane to its left and could have easily avoided the puddle, but the driver decided to ruin my day instead.
The day then turned from depressing to dangerous when the rain and slush froze. Sidewalks and walkways iced over like the Frog Pond and, once the sun set, it was hard to tell the difference between a puddle and a sheet of ice. It wasn’t uncommon for the two to coexist either; puddles started to collect atop the frozen bricks and made for a messy slip-and-fall situation.
The only thing that would have made my day worse was if I had gone outside to brave the elements for some unnecessary purpose and had fallen in a big, icy puddle. Luckily, I was smart enough to just go back to bed after the bus incident.
For whatever reason, Northeastern likes having brick sidewalks rather than standard asphalt. Sure, they look nice and all, but everyone from New England knows the trouble that frost heaves cause, and, in case they had forgotten, the storm was a reminder. Frost heaves have a knack for creating deep puddles that are great for ducks, but bad for students. These puddles then freeze and students slip, fall and cry.
Most of the streets on campus have poor drainage and the gutters end up becoming another obstacle between the residence halls and the dining halls. Walking across Forsyth Street involves searching for land bridges and going out of the way. The combination of flooded gutters and frozen walkways makes for unpleasant travel around campus, and aggravates students.
Northeastern shouldn’t get rid of the brick sidewalks entirely, but if they do still exist, it would be nice to have them salted and relatively clear so people can safely walk on them.
‘- Colin Young is a freshman
journalism major.
