$150 fines for not shoveling your sidewalk within 12 hours...

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

According to the Somerville Journal, the next thing the city is trying to get approved is a standard $150 first offense fine for non shoveling within 12 hours of a storm, 4 hours for businesses. This is up from $25 and 12 hours for both residents and businesses. Repeat offense will be $300. Probably the biggest part of this is they are looking to have it enforced by the people who write the parking tickets, currently it is the city's Inspectional Services dept. who write the tickets.

Comments

[gruene.livejournal.com]

Good. Maybe that will get people to actually do it.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

shovel? or enforce existing law regarding shoveling?

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

Last winter I wanted to write (in the blood of my neighbour's perpetually barking dog,) on the side of their house: "De-ice the fucking sidewalk." Most people I suggested this to hinted that it may be too extreme.

I continue to relish the days I come home and one or both of their cars have tickets on the windshield.

[magg1es.livejournal.com]

Don't get the dog involved! Go to your local butcher shop. They'll probably get a kick out of it.

[ignignokt.livejournal.com]

So, they're trying to generate more revenue. Now, given that they already ticket aggressively with relatively high fines, I'd think they'd be covered.

I've been living here about half a year, so I don't know this and am wondering: Why do they need this much money? What services are they providing that go so far above and beyond those provided by any other city this size such that they need to levy fines so heavily on its citizens? Free backrubs for all residents? Helper monkeys for all citizens with disabilities? And how can I take advantage of these extraordinary services?

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

Somerville, like many cities and towns in Massachusetts, receives tens millions of dollars in local aid from the state; the city uses this money to cover much of its expenses, which cannot be fully covered by property and other local taxes. The state, being in a huge financial crisis, cuts local aid by millions of dollars at a time and may have to do so again in the future, as MA faces huge statewide deficits and collects less taxes due to the economy. This reduces local aid, which reduces the city budget in a big way; these fees help to offset that.

I'm not agreeing/disagreeing with the fees, or justifying anything, just explaining why the city has budgetary issues.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i'll be curious to see if this results in more folks offering snow removal services, particularly under the table pick-up kind of snow removal. it beats sitting around at foss park hoping for a day labor job.

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see what happens if you have a service who fails to get there in time. Betting a real contract would cause them to eat the fine, but under-the-table folk would be invisible and the homeowner would have to eat it.

[squirrelitude]

I'd like to see the fine for first offense stay quite small, with a big note about increasing fines for repeat violations. After all, it is the repeat offenders that everyone seems to care about.

[cos]

That would make a lot of sense.

[erinkayehashet.livejournal.com]

Would they really enforce it? There are plenty of reasons why someone might not be able to shovel within twelve hours. What if you're out of town? What if you were somewhere else when the storm hit and got stuck?

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

this is exactly what i was going to ask. 12 hours is a very small amount of time. i just moved to arlington so i'm not particularly affected, but even still, i spend about five days a week at my boyfriend's apartment. it would absolutely not be because i didn't care or was lazy or some such that i didn't shovel. i salt (and let melt during the morning) and then shovel when i'm home. also $25 to $150 is quite the jump!

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

As long as they're willing to ticket themselves for it when city properties fail to shovel...

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

That will never happen (the ticketing of the city, that is).

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Definitely not in favor of such a harsh penalty.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

As someone who had to push her baby's carriage in the street after dark in order to get home from daycare last winter because the sidewalks were too covered in snow, I heartily agree with stiffer fines!

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

Unshoveled snow might not be that bad, but I am all for heavy fines, given half the houses on my street are sheet ice the day after. Melt & freeze can turn the street unsafe within a day or two. And as an ex-EMT... picking up people with broken limbs from falling on that stuff, not fun.

In fact, any emergency calls where the responders have to go over that junk... so if you think the fines are heavy, think about the risk to rescuers carrying a person out on a stretcher through that junk.

[red-liner.livejournal.com]

+1 on this!

I've walked to and from the T and other places on a daily basis for over 20 years, so I've gotten to observe a lot about snow and sidewalks. There is no question that you get a better result if you shovel promptly, like within an hour or two after the storm.

The longer you wait, the more the snow freezes, gets tramped down, and adheres to the sidewalk. And, as VibrantAbyss notes, a thaw/freeze cycle makes matters even worse, often creating situations where you'd need a flame thrower to truly clear a sidewalk. When that happens, you can end up with a genuine safety hazard for days or weeks.

I, too, favor a fine that will get peoples' attention, AND an enforcement method that will do the same. Let's face it - snow is a fact of life here, we all live in close proximity, and we need to deal with storms in a way that's respectful to our neighbors.

[whaler.livejournal.com]

Is there a waiver for the elderly or disabled?

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Would these be the elderly or disabled property owners or the elderly or disabled people who have to walk across the unshoveled sidewalk?

So if you own a business...

[dent42.livejournal.com]

And a storm ends at midnight, you better be in by 4 am to shovel your sidewalk! Way to boost your relationship with businesses in the wake of the parking fiasco!

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I just hope it works.

I walk everywhere, and I'm sick and tired of not being able to walk places in winter in Somerville because the sidewalks are sheathed in hard-packed frozen snow. And I'm not talking tiny side streets...I mean streets like Summer and Elm!

Compared with streets in Boston and Cambridge, the sidewalks in Somerville in winter are ridiculous. The Harborwalk path (http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/) is maintained better than most Somerville sidewalks, and that's not even a "necessary" walkway.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

That's what having the city shovel the walkways gets ya

Is a repeat offender over one's life?

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Or does it reset each winter?

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see landlords take more responsibility in this area. Basically, there are a whole lot of multi family apartments. In my house there are 4 apartments, with some having multiple occupants. Who's job is it to shovel the sidewalk? I'd love if the landlord had a service do that, lord knows I pay enough in rent, maybe a 150$ fine will make it happen, maybe it won't.

Ultimately I don't won the house, the landlord should take care of it, or have a service, that would also provide more jobs for local snow removal people - he can pass that charge along via rent. My landlord considers it the tenants responsibility, however how do you manage that among many apartments etc - it becomes a waiting game of who will take care of it.

[smoterh.livejournal.com]

Landlords typically include it in the lease. You should check your lease for who's responsibility it is.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Do you have a link to the article? I couldn't find it on the Somerville Journal website.

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

So... if you're not around during the holiday season when it snows, I guess you're screwed?

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Make arrangements with friends, neighbors, or shoveling services in advance. "Snow in December" is not the sort of rare circumstance it's impossible to anticipate.

[micbain07.livejournal.com]

Is it against some city ordinance that twenty-something year old tenants aren't allowed to get their lazy asses out of bed and help shovel a sidewalk.
Sure it the owners responsibility but sometimes the owner is physically unable and/or can't find someone to pay to do it. Snow effects everyone and everyone should pitch in and shovel when they can!

A few thoughts.......

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

This issue, in one form or another rises like the Phoenix every winter. One of the biggest issues is plows that dump snow onto an already cleared sidewalk. This happens all the time, especially if you are unlucky enough to live on the even side of the street. Also, if you have a warm day and melting occurs, it will certainly freeze overnight. If your house gets little sun during the afternoon, it is almost impossible to keep it ice free.
And Somerville, like most of Massachusetts, refusing to make any meaningful cuts. The Mayor has added jobs continually, given raises, purchased many new vehicles, etc., etc., etc. They think that the can just pass all of the costs on to the taxpayer. Municipalities need to cut expenses just like most households have had to do, but they simply won't and continue to spend as if 'money grows on trees'! And my biggest pet peeve is this: the sidewalk is city property. I don't think that the city can legally require you to clear city property. I am not allowed to use the sidewalk in front of my home for any private use, why is it private when covered in snow? I cannot wait to get out of this city, and when I am preparing to leave, perhaps I'll have the nerve to test this theory! Until then, who wants to be the homeowner who sues the city??
(and by the way, most homeowners shovel the walks for their own safety and convenience, regardless of anything else)

Simple.

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

If you rent, snitch on your landlord to the city. They'd be happy to fine him/her.

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

This is a ridiculous.

[magg1es.livejournal.com]

I like this.

People who don't shovel their sidewalks are essentially saying "F all you handicapped people. I'm busy being a lazy bastard."