Whenever snow is on the horizon, everyone gets really excited for a possible snow day, having snowball fights, and making snowmen. But when the weather forecast says we’ll get snow, I’m always a bit worried and upset. Why? As someone who walks home from school every day, I’ve noticed that the common courtesy of shoveling snow off of the sidewalk has completely disappeared.
Personally, I have to walk home from school on very busy roads like Elwood and 5th Avenue. If someone doesn’t shovel their sidewalk, I have no choice but to walk on the side of the road, which is quite dangerous.
One argument against shoveling one’s sidewalk is that technically, the town owns the sidewalk so it should be their responsibility to shovel it. This is not a valid argument, because if we want to look at technicalities, if one has a sidewalk on their property, they are legally obligated to shovel it with 24 hours. If not, you can be reported and receive a ticket, which could potentially lead to a fine of at least $100.
Based on this code, many people will soon be reported to the town (by me) if their sidewalks are not shoveled, since it has been well over 24 hours since the most recent snowfall. I hope everyone enjoys getting a ticket from a town because of a petty teenage girl.
I understand that some are physically unable to shovel their sidewalks, but a majority of the population is able to and should be completing this task. Forget the legality of the issue, a homeowner has a moral obligation to shovel their sidewalks, since if they don’t, it creates a dangerous situation for their neighbors.
