Neighbors help clear Louisville sidewalks 1-26-26
Neighbors stepped up to assist one another across Louisville on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, as the weekend winter storm created accessibility issues on city sidewalks. (WDRB photo)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — If you live on a residential street that is not designated as an emergency route, you likely did not see a snowplow following January’s winter storm.
Even living near a hospital, school, or major employer may not have made a difference.
City leaders said Tuesday the issue ultimately comes down to staffing, equipment, and funding.
“We’re going to stick to our snow map and the routes on our snow map,” said Bill Bell, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Transportation. “We’re going to entertain suggestions from Metro Council or the public on new routes or new roadways to put on routes.”
Metro Council members said they have received numerous complaints from frustrated residents.
“I know that we’ve gotten a lot of responses from our constituents saying ‘We asked you to plow a road,’” said Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell, D-15. “And of course, not all of them got plowed, but a lot of them.”
Records obtained by WDRB show 222 pages of complaints about roads that were not cleared. Metro Council members submitted an additional 100 complaints.
Despite that, Metro Public Works officials said they are not ignoring residents’ concerns.
“Right now, we found out we’re at capacity,” Bell said. “So what we’ve talked about doing is having a secondary map in case we have a big event like this. If we have contractors or crews that have already cleared the main streets, maybe we can hit some of these secondary roads.”
Sidewalks and accessibility remain a challenge
The storm’s impact extended beyond roadways. Snow and ice created significant barriers for pedestrians and people with disabilities.
Earlier this month, Louisville resident Matt Gibbons demonstrated to WDRB how those conditions affect him as a wheelchair user.
“I have to travel on the road and watch myself for cars and watch for this and watch for that,” Gibbons said. “So I can be safe. That’s not fair, Louisville.”
City leaders acknowledged hearing similar concerns.
“That was a real complaint that we got this year,” one official said. “People were angry and also saying ‘Well, if you have a law, why aren’t you enforcing it?’”
A city ordinance requires property owners to clear snow from sidewalks within 24 hours or face a fine. However, city records show no fines have ever been issued.
That raised another concern: what happens when the government itself owns the property?
“Many of the stops that I could see in my neighborhood were completely inaccessible,” said Metro Councilman Lyninger, D-6. “The buses were having to block the intersection or pull over to another corner. My wheelchair can’t even make it over there. Whose responsibility is it? The buck stops here for our TARC stops being accessible during a snow event.”
City looks for solutions
Officials are considering several ideas, including recruiting volunteers such as high school students seeking community service hours, or enforcing fines against property owners who fail to clear sidewalks.
For residential streets not included on the city’s snow map, officials said homeowners can hire private contractors or contact their Metro Council representative to request route changes before the next storm.
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