Those who don’t use transit much or have any idea how city residents move from place-to-place might see this as nothing more than a path through Bushnell Park — something purely for recreation.

Actually, this path connects Union Station to Frog Hollow.

Residents who take the train to jobs in New Haven travel this path because it does not require that they walk directly across I-84 ramps. It’s also part of the East Coast Greenway.

The first pic shows a clear path, but following snow storms, this is usually a mess because the City of Hartford and State of Connecticut do not collaborate when it comes to snow removal.

One entity clears a portion of it, but literally leaves a pile blocking the rest of the sidewalk. Common sense would have one owner just plowing the whole path, with the exchange being that the other other takes care of a similar project elsewhere in Hartford.

The pic above was taken following the light snow earlier this week. What is shown in this pic is not an insurmountable hurdle. This pic was chosen because it shows exactly where the snow removal ends.

You can see the footprints both to the left and right of the pile, indicating that people are not walking back and forth all day between the LOB garage and the East Coast Greenway sign, but instead moving forward to other destinations, as common sense would dictate.

This photo, taken at the very beginning of a standard morning commute, with fresh snow, shows demand for access to Union Station.

No doubt, some of the prints on the path veering east (right) belong to dog walkers or folks out for a morning jog, but through the observations one can make during daily use, many users are those commuting to work. Consulting with those who walk or bike to work, school, or errands — year-round — would help those who drive everywhere better understand what the needs are when it comes to winter maintenance.