New snow shovelling policy

[pjmorgan.livejournal.com]

I'm going to pick a fight in a passive aggressive way, if that is possible.

So Somerville fines if you shovel snow into the street??!!!
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/x1689216222/Fines-set-for-Somervilles-non-shovelers

This is bogus on so many ways.

First of all, during the last storm, right after I shoveled my sidewalk and "shoveled" snow onto my sidewalk. Not just into my driveway (which I've come to expect). Can I fine the city for that?

So is this defined as into the middle of the street, or along the edges? Sometimes you have to shovel just a little bit into the first couple feet of the street. If someone shovels out their car, will that trigger it?

In general, I find it annoying that my real estate taxes go to clearing the roads (which I don't even use since I'm doing my part by not driving) so I guess I have a chip on my shoulder.

And hopefully I just don't understand the regulation. What is the definition of shoveling into the street that they are going off of?

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

They actually do this in Montreal. It's amazing. But Montreal has longer winters than we do and their snow tends to be deeper, which makes it worthwhile for the city to buy narrow little snowplows (just about as wide as a sidewalk.)

[motive-nuance.livejournal.com]

It looks like they also do that in Arlington...

[veek.livejournal.com]

Maybe in Arl Center; the city doesn't shovel sidewalks in residential blocks afaik.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

IIRC they used to do residential sidewalk plowing, in the mid 90s, but stopped because of the expense. It caused quite a controversy at the time.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Somerville seems to have one, we've seen it.

[turil.livejournal.com]

They only use it on land where there isn't a private land owner to dump the burden on. And they only use it begrudgingly. Those DPW guys don't like wee little machines.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

That doesn't actually dispute my statement, which was factual. I live across the street from a school, it IS their responsibility to clean it.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Um, yeah, I was agreeing with your statement and adding information. The point being that they have the things, but don't like to use them, which is why they try to avoid taking responsibility for the rest of the public sidewalks which are, logically also responsible for (being that most sidewalks are government owned land these days).

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

which is why they try to avoid taking responsibility for the rest of the public sidewalks which are, logically also responsible for (being that most sidewalks are government owned land these days).

Logically, yes, legally, no - legally it is the responsibility of the property owners and residents to do their part to make this a safer city for pedestrians.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

The other thing Montreal does is they put gravel on their sidewalks, rather than salt. Works much better, especially in the cold, (Salt stops being very effective below 20 or so) and is much much better for the environment.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Don't they do this in Cambridge, too? At least in some parts?

[latvianchick.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but Montreal was one of the iciest, most dangerous-to-walk places I've ever been to. I'll take Somerville any day. The public shoveling policy quite clearly doesn't work there.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Really? I haven't found that to be the case over many years of visiting family in Montreal in the winter--and my grandparents live in a working-class part of the city (more East Somerville than Davis Square). The city clears all sidewalks, puts down salt and gravel, and plows streets up to the curbs (street cleaning rules are in effect year-round). They also salt like nobody's business and truck the snow out of the city and dump it elsewhere to melt (terrible for the environment, but that's a different conversation). It's still a cold climate with a lot of snow, but getting around is much easier, in my experience.

[latvianchick.livejournal.com]

Huh. I went only once in winter, but feared for my life every time I was not indoors. We stayed in Atwater and spent most of our time downtown-ish, and it was atrocious. While sidewalks were plowed, there were sheets of ice on most of them (with gravel embedded, but entirely unhelpful). I bought crampons. I'm not even kidding.