After the recent snow and freezing temperatures left many local sidewalks treacherous, a lawmaker in Montgomery County wants to require that the county clear snow off of sidewalks in areas with particularly dangerous conditions for pedestrians.

Under new legislation sponsored by Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At Large), the county’s Department of Transportation would have to clear snow from some sidewalks abutting major traffic arteries.

County and state plows often create tall snow banks alongside busy roadways, rendering sidewalks impassable and forcing pedestrians to wade into traffic, the bill text says. County law requires owners to clear snow from public sidewalks adjacent to their property within 24 hours of after snowfall ends, but “such clearing rarely occurs due to a variety of reasons, including the difficulty of removing the large piles of compacted snow and ice created by plow trucks,” the bill says.

The bill would require the Department of Transportation to remove snow and ice that reaches three or more inches after the last day of precipitation. It would apply to “non-buffered sidewalks” — sidewalks without a strip of grass or some other barrier separating it from traffic — along 19 arterial roads in the county, including stretches of Connecticut Avenue, Georgia Avenue, University Boulevard, Flower Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, Old Georgetown Road and Veirs Mill Road. It would also apply to “orphan sidewalks” located on overpasses or adjacent to vacant property.

“By taking a more active role in sidewalk snow removal, we will increase pedestrian safety and take one step closer to achieving our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030,” Glass said in a statement. “This legislation will also ensure that our equity emphasis areas — lower-income communities with a greater percentage of people of color — receive fair attention during snow emergencies.”

Mandatory snow removal has been controversial in D.C., where lawmakers squabbled for years over proposed changes to the city’s century-old snow shoveling law. The D.C. Council passed a bill in 2014 requiring property owners and businesses to clear their sidewalks within eight daylight hours after the end of a storm. Non-shovelers risk a $25 to $150 fine. Homeowners who are at least 65 years old or have a disability can seek an exemption from the D.C. law.

Glass plans to introduce the Shovel Our Sidewalks Act Tuesday. The bill is cosponsored by Council President Tom Hucker (D-District 5) and members Hans Riemer (D-At Large), Sidney Katz (D-District 3) and Nancy Navarro (D-District 4). A fiscal analysis is pending.

A public hearing for the bill is scheduled for March 16 at 1:30 p.m.