Bangor Residents ‘Misled’ About Sidewalk Snow Removal, City Says

The City of Bangor says it has received numerous questions about sidewalk snow removal, and many residents have been misled to believe the city is not clearing sidewalks.

"This simply is not the case," the city said on its Facebook page Thursday.

According to the post, the city plows nearly 60 miles of sidewalks with a small, aging fleet of one front-end loader and four municipal tractors.

The post said the city does not have the resources to clear all of the sidewalks and must prioritize sidewalks with high volumes of pedestrian traffic and sidewalks near the city's schools.

"This week, crews have been working 12-hour shifts to clear the prioritized sidewalks," the post said. "Several passes are often necessary to clear a single sidewalk; it can take 3-4 hours to clear just one mile."

Crews begin plowing additional sidewalks after the prioritized ones are clear.

The city said there are things residents can do to make it easier for crews to plow the sidewalks, such as removing items that may cause a breakdown if it's struck by the city's equipment and asking privately-contracted snowplow drivers to keep sidewalks clear of snow when plowing driveways.