People Required to Clear the Sidewalks in Front of Their Homes

[guywithashovel]

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...0.html?sid=101

This was on the front page of my city's paper today. I've actually seen this talked about on the local news programs before when we've had snow. It seems that here in town, people are technically required by local law to shovel the sidewalks in front of their homes, and they risk a $100 fine if they don't do it. However, the law if rarely enforced, if ever.

Is this a good idea? Should people be required to do this?

[HYHYBT]

The sidewalk is on city property; it should be their problem if it's snowed over. Otherwise, why not expect you to shovel the *street* in front of your house as well? Besides, what if you're not home?

[elsporko]

People who don't shovel their sidewalks are assholes. The city can't afford to pay people to go shovel every sidewalk and pedestrians are at danger of being hit by cars if they are forced to walk in the street. If they are too old to shovel there should be a service that can find a volunteer to help them. The only reason to not shovel is because you are lazy and you should have to pay the city to shovel the sidewalk for you.

[DrFaroohk]

What if I just plain don't feel like shoveling it? You want to walk on it? You shovel it. It's not my property. If it was my property, I might shovel it. Then I might spray paint obscenities on it and put no trespassing signs on it too, so you're screwed either way.

[Vagabond]

What good is a law if it is not enforced?

I think it is a good idea to shovel your sidewalk, but I don't think you should *have* to.

Some people are physically incapable of such, or perhaps they are sick and shouldn't be out in the inclement weather.

I remember when I was growing up I used to go around asking people to pay me to shovel their side walk for money.

So, I don't think it should be a law. Just a nicety, a common courtesy.

[IDrinkaRum]

From my understanding, the sidewalk in front of your house, is part of your property. Therefore, you have to shovel it. Especially is there is a law that says you have to. Usually, we don't have to shovel the sidewalk, because where I live, the neighbors are really nice, and if it starts snowing in the middle of the day, and Mr. Rum isn't home from work, I have like 3 or 4 gentlemen I can ask to clear my steps/sidewalk for me.

ETA: As for a law? Maybe they're helping out the homeowners against lawsuits? A person, slips on ice in front of your house, the person sues the homeowner for not shoveling the ice/snow from there. Paying $100 for a fine and cleaning off your sidewalk is a heck of a lot cheaper than having your insurance pay out to the person suing you, and then hiking the price/dropping you from your insurance.

[ladyneeva]

"Do it for the CHILDREN!!!!!!" is a lazy man's debate tactic. If you are so concerned about theoretical children who might theoretically walk in the street instead of on the snow covered sidewalk, why aren't YOU going around town shoveling the sidewalks of complete strangers? Should we accuse you of just being lazy, even though we don't know why you may or may not be out shoveling away?

[elsporko]

I'm lazy for taking care of my responcibilities and expecting others to do the same? That argument is insane. I'm in human services, I help people eight or nine hours a day seven days a week. Excuse me for not going around shoveling out the entire town because people are too lazy to get up for a few minutes. Heres a secret, those cheetohs will be there when you get back. You can leave the bag for a few minutes and do something physical.

[Vagabond]

Pssst... hire the children to shovel the walk. I did it when I was younger for some money. It was good healthy exercise and gave me spending cash... which promptly went into my Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa fund for shoveling sidewalks in winter... but hey, who doesn't like some Hot Cocoa?

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I'm lazy for taking care of my responcibilities and expecting others to do the same? That argument is insane. I'm in human services, I help people eight or nine hours a day seven days a week. Excuse me for not going around shoveling out the entire town because people are too lazy to get up for a few minutes. Heres a secret, those cheetohs will be there when you get back. You can leave the bag for a few minutes and do something physical.

no more insane then your argument, which is the entire point. If we're so worried about the children, WTF are they walking to school etc. for anyway?

[Nyoibo]

We have a similar law here, but for clearing the area between your property and the road of any sort of deadfall or grass that could pose a fire risk, I will not do it as it's damn dangerous, I don't get to slow traffic or divert them onto the other side of the road while doing it, I apparently just have to risk it.

[protege]

I'm so glad I live out in the 'burbs, and don't have to deal with any of this silliness. Very few streets actually have sidewalks

Seriously though, I don't even bother with my own sidewalk. Kinda pointless actually--since I don't usually leave through the front door. It's simply easier to go out through the garage. Oh, and there's that big hole and rubble pile where the front steps used to be

[AdminAssistant]

In my town, there is an ordinance requiring home owners to clean sidewalks on their properties (for rental properties, the burden is on the property owners not the tenants). A lot of people walk around here, especially when roads are bad. If the roads are bad enough, I walk...since I'd rather walk for 20 minutes than spend 20 minutes cleaning off my car then risk getting in an accident. Should I have to risk my life walking out in the street just because John Q. Homeowner is too lazy to comply with city ordinance and shovel the damn walk? No. Those are the rules, and they are especially enforced in the downtown area and close to the University campus and area schools. You know, where a lot of people walk. Reading the comments on the town paper...you'd think the city were asking homeowners to shoot their puppies instead of just being slightly inconvenienced to keep up their property. If you don't like it, move to JoCo or Topeka or Emporia or something. Or move where it doesn't snow. I mean, it's Kansas. It's going to snow during the winter. This should not be a shock or surprise to anyone. *sheesh* I mean, do people complain this much about having to mow their lawn in the summer? Because most cities have rules against letting lawns get out of hand.

[MaggieTheCat]

I didn't even know this was debatable. In my homecity, way up in northern Wisconsin, it's a law that you have to shovel the sidewalk and I didn't know any homeowner who ever DIDN'T shovel their sidewalk. I mean, what else are you going to do, let several feet of snow pile up on the sidewalk over the course of the winter? Even if you don't care about regular pedestrians who walk along the sidewalk, what about mail men/women who walk the beat and deliver your mail? I'm pretty sure that they can withhold mail from a house if the sidewalk/steps leading to the house are too dangerous to walk on. And also what Rummy said: If someone were to slip and fall on snow or ice that's on your sidewalk and they get hurt, you are liable for their injuries, just like if someone slips in the parking lot of any kind of store. I don't know if this is true in ever city, but it is in some.

[linguist]

I mean, do people complain this much about having to mow their lawn in the summer? Because most cities have rules against letting lawns get out of hand.

i don't complain about mowing my lawn, because my lawn is actually my property. if you were to look at a property map that defines my property lines, my line ends at one side of the sidewalk and picks up on the other side. that 3-foot strip of concrete that divides my property is owned by the city. i'm not allowed to block it, i'm not allowed to keep anyone off of it, i'm certainly not allowed to remove it, i'm not even allowed to improve it if the city allows it to fall into disrepair. however, the city is allowed to come in and jackhammer it to rubble and leave it that way for as long as they'd like without my prior knowledge or consent, and i've got very little recourse because the sidewalk is not my property. when that changes, i'd happily take care of it, but until it does, as far as i'm concerned it's the city's job.