To keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe, a retired firefighter clears snow from more than five blocks of sidewalk along a busy stretch of Old Georgetown Road near downtown Bethesda, Maryland.
Following back-to-back snowfalls this week, 68-year-old Richard Hoye cleared his side street of Lucas Lane, his neighbors’ driveways and the sidewalks of Old Georgetown Road from Battery Lane to Huntington Parkway.
Hoye, a longtime advocate of bike lanes and walkability, has taken it upon himself to make sidewalks and bike paths more accessible by shoveling snow.
“There’s a synagogue on this section, there are a couple churches here, bus stops, and it’s a primary pedestrian path to access downtown,” he said.
Several years ago, Hoye spent $18,000 on a used 25-horsepower diesel engine skid steer with hydraulic arms. The skid steer can accommodate a chevron-shaped plowing blade, a loader and even a special snowblower, which Hoye bought for $15,000.
“There are tons of snow pushed onto the sidewalk from the snow plows that residents simply are not physically able to clear,” Hoye said.
For the two recent snowfalls, Hoye relied on an unusual manual contraption called a Snow Wolf to clear the sidewalks so pedestrians could reach Beth El Congregation, Bethesda United Methodist Church and an entrance to the National Institutes of Health.
“I use this snow shovel with a giant wheel on it. … I love machines as a firefighter, I love simple human-powered machines … so this device really intrigued me and it works very well. … You scrape and push the snow into a big lump on the end of the shovel and then you scoot it,” Hoye said. “You actually throw the snow from the shovel out of the path.”
Hoye said he single-handedly clears the snow for public safety, as well as to encourage people to walk and bicycle.
“I have been concerned about pedestrian, bicycle safety during snow events, in particular, for many, many years. … I enjoy seeing many pedestrians using that sidewalk and walking for trips,” he said. “And in the wintertime, I can’t sleep when I see and know that people are walking in the streets of Old Georgetown Road, because there are tons of snow pushed onto the sidewalk from the snow plows.”
Neighbors seem to appreciate Hoye’s handiwork. Carolina Pachon said she is very thankful that he clears the snow in front of her house.
“I think we are very fortunate to have Richard to help us out. … We moved from Florida, so we’re just kind of getting to know how to manage in the snow. So it’s been very useful, and we’re very grateful to him,” Pachon said.
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