The Davis Square Community

So now we are also responsible for shoveling the city streets? I think I would draw the line there. If I work for 2 hours shoveling the sidewalk down to the concrete from curb to fence, then the plow deposits an entire street's worth of slushy mess at the corner but IN THE STREET , why is that my responsibility?

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mamajoan.livejournal.com

Good tip. I was just thinking about that this morning as I contemplated all this snow melting, not being able to drain, and then turning to ice just in time for tomorrow's storm. Yikes.

I'm home sick today, but if I feel a bit better later, I may go out and do some more "samaritan shoveling." Already shoveled out a couple of neighbors last night.

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mamajoan.livejournal.com

umm, no one's saying it's your responsibility. We're saying it would be a nice thing to do, out of neighborly consideration for your fellow human beings. You've heard of this concept, yes?

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rufinia.livejournal.com

It's not your responsibility, it's just a nice thing to do.

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ron_newman

I concur with the previous two replies, and also want to point out that I'm talking about making sure there is a path from the sidewalk to the street corner. If residents don't do this, who will?

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I have NO idea on the laws on MA as I've only been here past six years or so, but in NYS you HAVE to shovel the sidewalk in front of your house or you get fined.

So in some places, it's not just nice...it's the law.

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It would also be "a nice thing to do" for all the people who complain about my sidewalk not being adequately shoveled to stop by and help shovel it and the abovementioned street, but I don't see that happening.

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We're not talking about the sidewalk, we're talking about the street where the snowplow dumped mounds at the corner.

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I think it's a tough call. Yeah, I WANT to be nice to my neighbors but some of us don't have the stamina to shovel ourselves out, shovel our sidewalk, shovel the hydrant and THEN shovel extra stuff too. Honestly, I think the city should be responsible for clearing sidewalks on major streets as well as clearing curb cuts/handicap ramps -- I'd consider it under the job responsibilities of public safety.

I'm not disagreeing with the sentiment (doing something good for the community/neighbors even if you don't HAVE to is a good thing) but realize that saying stuff like this can rub people the wrong way. People who have already done the most they could do don't generally take well to being asked to do more.

Edited Date: 2007-12-14 03:36 pm (UTC)

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ron_newman

I shoveled out my corner last night. It took all of about five minutes. Had I not done it, it would have frozen into dangerous ice.

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thetathx1138.livejournal.com

And we pedestrians thank you for this.

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Good, your corner was easy. That does not mean everyone else's is -- there is a snowbank on the corner of my street that is over my waist. Not to mention -- why does living on a corner make you more responsible than your neighbors? How is that fair?

The more you post, the more I am really disgusted at your ableist dismissals. Aside from the people who just plain don't want to (which is their right) there are people who CAN'T physically do what you are asking. Your flippant, "well I did so you can too" replies are really insensitive and you might want to consider checking your able-bodied privilege.

Edited to add: I don't live on a street corner but I don't feel like people who live on corners should be more liable for that corner than everyone else on that street who needs it. I find it wrong for the burden to fall on the one corner-dwelling person.

Edited Date: 2007-12-14 03:42 pm (UTC)

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cutieperson

actually, based on this and previous discussions, i think he's suggesting able-bodied people do it since not everyone can. as a disabled person i find it charming how many people would rather walk over a waist-high snowbank than help out their fellow human beings. OH WAIT, charming's not the right word there!

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ron_newman

Right -- if I didn't dig out that corner, how would a wheelchair user, or even someone who uses a cane (like my upstairs neighbor), get through it at all?

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I didn't walk over a waist-high snowbank. I saw it on the end of my street and saw it. Having seen it, I don't know how anyone could be expected to clear that.

Read his posts, he never says do it only if you are able. Instead he basically says "I did it just fine which means you should be able to do it too."

His responses and attitude really irk me.

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But he did indeed say sidewalk....

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Yes, thank you. That is exactly where I was coming from. First it was "please shovel your sidewalk", then it was "now go back and shovel the hydrant", then "shovel the street at the corner where that big pile is." I am happy to hear Ron can shovel his corner in 5 minutes, but I am guessing that was not on top of 2 hours of shoveling the sidewalks. Remember, if you live on a corner, you ALREADY SHOVEL 2 SIDEWALKS, and if you have the bad luck of being on the even side of both streets you get snowplowed under on both sides. I accept my civic duty to clear the sidewalks, but the city (or better yet one of you constant complainers) damn well can clear the street.

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Yes, the word "sidewalk" was in the sentence, gold star. But "dig a path through from the sidewalk to the street corner" STARTS at the sidewalk, which I already shoveled, and ends in the street, which the city plows.

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Ah, I missed that part. Sorry.

Still in all, I wound up doing that this morning anyway because it's impossible to tell where the sidewalk ends right now and the street begins.

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Good for you, another gold star. Now you and Mr. Sanctimonious up there can come over and do all the corners on my street.

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badseed1980.livejournal.com

I live at a dead end (basically a parking lot) that's perpendicular to the bike trail. I shoveled through from the plowed parking lot to the already-tramped-down path to the bike trail, because otherwise, there would have been a big-ass hill of snow to climb over. I figure that even if no one else appreciated it, it made life easier for ME this morning.

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Seriously. Everyone who is bragging so loudly about their easy non-car commute can just take all their extra energy and go around town clearing corners for fun! Better yet -- all able-bodied pedestrians should carry a shovel in case they run into trouble or get the spontaneous urge to do something nice for the neighborhood.

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