By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

By the time you read this, the city should be covered by almost a foot of new snow. You’ve no doubt received a call from our emergency notification system declaring a snow emergency and asking you to park on the odd side of the street or at designated municipal parking lots. And you probably have seen the blue lights flashing all around the city.

Snow is nothing new in New England and we’ve got a well-established snow removal routine here in Somerville. We have to be on top of every snow storm given the layout of the city. We have lots of narrow streets with houses and cars packed in tight spaces. If we want to get a plow down the street, we have to get some of the cars out of the way.

In fact, making sure everyone moves their car is the biggest challenge we face in every major snow storm. Just so people know how a snow emergency works, when the forecast is for more than four inches of snow, we declare a snow emergency. We set a time for the emergency to start, in the case of this storm it was midnight, and people have four hours to get their cars parked on the odd-numbered side of the street before we start towing.

We would rather not tow, but if the cars don’t get moved, the plows can’t do their job and the city gets gridlocked. So if you see that a major snow storm is coming, get your car parked on the odd-numbered side of the street as soon as possible. We also open up school and municipal lots for parking during snow emergencies. You can check the official list on the City website – www.somervillema.gov – or call 311 to get that information. We make more than two dozen lots available.

If you happen to be headed out of town during the winter, make sure you are parked on the odd-numbered side of the street before you leave. That way you won’t come home to an impounded vehicle.

Because we have such a well-oiled snow removal process, we are able to continue trash and recycling pick up on our normal schedule during snow emergencies. However, we will suspend Christmas tree pick up until Friday of this week due to the snow storm.

If you are a senior citizen or have a disability and you need shoveling assistance, the city has a youth shoveling referral program. It costs $12 to get your sidewalks and steps shoveled and $20 for your car and driveway ($8 for just your car if you are parked on the street). To get into that program you need to fill out a form, available at City Hall or the Council Aging at 167 Holland St.

And please shovel your entire sidewalk. After every snowstorm we get a flood of calls complaining about unshoveled sidewalks. You have six hours of daylight after the end of a snowstorm to get your sidewalk clear. You can be ticketed $25 for your first offense if it is not clear, $50 for your second offense and $100 for each subsequent offense after that. Trust me, if your sidewalk is not shoveled we are likely to hear about it.

We have more than 75,000 people living in a city of 4.1 square miles. Somerville has heavy pedestrian activity even in its most residential neighborhoods. People often walk in the street to avoid doing a mountain goat imitation along unshoveled sidewalks and it makes for a very dangerous situation. So clear off your sidewalk and help keep your neighborhood safe.

You can call 311 with any questions and we have a 24-hour snow line at (617) 628-SNOW (7669) to let you know how long the snow emergency will stay in effect.

Most of all, be a good neighbor. We live in Somerville, Massachusetts. It’s been snowing here every winter since before humans arrived on the scene. There’s nothing to be gained by getting mad at the snow or each other. A little respect, courtesy and a helping hand goes a long way in weather like this. Remember, we all have to live together after the snow melts.