Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh this past weekend lifted an 85-year-old law banning sledding to fulfill a campaign promise of making the winter activity “legal and safe.”

Syracuse banned sledding in 1933 after an 11-year-old boy broke his leg while riding a toboggan at the Westcott Reservoir.

It’s now legal to ride sleds down a hill in Burnet Park. The hill, located behind a golf clubhouse, is the first legal city-owned area where sledding is legal. Burnet Park is about 15 minutes from Syracuse University’s Main Campus.

Walsh said his campaign promise of lifting the sled ban was one of his most popular vows, Syracuse.com reported.

“Snow is an asset in our community,” Walsh told Syracuse.com. “This is an asset we need to promote.”

On Friday, the 16th snowiest day in Syracuse’s recorded history, 16 inches of snow blanketed the city, per Syracuse.com.

There were “dozens” of children at the park ready to legally sled down the hill on Saturday, according to Syracuse.com. The city will continue to search for more safe hills to possibly open up to sledding.

The historic sledding ban hasn’t stopped SU students and children from riding down snowy hills, per Syracuse.com.

In 2015, The Daily Orange published a guide on the best spots for sledding around campus, despite the activity being prohibited by law.

A 12-year-old girl died from a sledding accident in 2009 at the Westcott Reservoir. She lost control and sledded into a parked car, receiving serious head trauma. She died three days after the incident.

Then-Mayor Matt Driscoll said the city would build snow fences at the Woodland reservoir and Westcott reservoir after the girl’s death, but no efforts were made to legalize sledding.

Walsh has also promised to improve the snow removal process in the city. Syracuse’s Innovation Team hosted a summit two weeks ago to come up with solutions for keeping streets and sidewalks free of snow.

Three potential solutions included full snow removal paid for by fees, snow removal in “priority areas,” or an improvement of snow removal enforcement using existing laws.  

Sam Edelstein, the Innovation Team’s chief data officer, said at the summit that snow poses a safety concern, but he also wants to capitalize on its benefits. He said he hoped the city would retract the sledding ban.

“We often think about snow as a problem here, but we’re one of the snowiest cities in the country,” Edelstein said at the time. “We should take advantage of that and talk about how we can have more fun in the snow.”

Published on March 4, 2018 at 7:53 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert