- This topic has 31 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
Now that we have (deservedly) finished lambasting our public officials for their failure to clear the snow, it is time for a little introspection:
Neighbors, it is not only the law, but common courtesy, to clear a path in front of your property so that all pedestrians can pass. Twelve inches is NOT an adequate path; the less-agile cannot be expected to walk by placing one foot directly in front of the other.
Furthermore, your responsibility to clear the snow extends to the sidewalk in front of your driveway even if you are not using your driveway.
Given the volume of snow that fell and the high winds, one pass with the shovel did not do the trick. Another swipe (or two or three) was required.
For those physically unable to meet their responsibilities, there
were numerous people with shovels going about looking to earn a few dollars. Give them that opportunity!
I would ask our esteemed council members to consider sponsoring legislation to require owners of corner properties to clear paths
to the intersection so that pedestrians don’t have to climb over mounds of increasingly-icy snow.
A little courtesy and derech eretz goes a long way! Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to legislate basic consideration for others!
The people living on corners already have more than double the amount to shovel, as they have two sides of the street — including the longer horizontal side of their house.
Something else to consider – some of those folks who can’t clear their own walks may be on disability or retired on a small fixed income. They would not be able to afford to pay anything for someone to shovel.
When you know a neighbor is in that situation, put out the extra effort and help them by shoveling for them too. Or a yeshiva bochur could do this as a chesed project. A yeshiva might even take this on formally, the way some bais yaakovs have programs for visiting the elderly homebound.
tmb no one told u to buy a corner house if the upkeep is too much for you perhaps you should move to a studio apartment
Hadassa I agree, I know there was alot to shovel, but what most people did shovel, was impossible for 2 people to pass through at the same time. Also, if you buy a corner home, you buy the big responibilty to adequate remove the snow!!
Also the mountains of snow the blocked the sidewalk intersections were terrible, causing people to walk into the streets, which was dangerous.
Isn’t it illegal not to? My neighbors who didn’t live in their house but it was still theirs, didn’t shovel the sidewalk and they almost got a ticket.
If being a mentsch doesn’t speak to you then maybe monetary loss will.
If you don’t shovel your sidewalk and someone hurts themselves on the snow, you can get sued.
I would ask our esteemed council members to consider sponsoring legislation to require owners of corner properties to clear paths to the intersection so that pedestrians don’t have to climb over mounds of increasingly-icy snow.
I am confident that the person who wrote this is not a property owner. Everyone who owns a house knows about the real estate tax increase that went into effect on January 1. What are we paying for? This past week, we in Borough Park didn’t even get snow plow service for our taxes until very late.
If you want to see more of the sidewalk shoveled than is already required by existing law, bring your liberal “progressive” friends out with you and do it yourself!
Homeowner – what about that old-fashioned idea of “mentschlichkeit?” Just because you think you’re being cheated on your taxes doesn’t mean that you can then go and act like a beheima yourself. What about the older people, children, ladies, etc. who have to walk up your block? For the sake of spite and a few shovelsful of snow you’ll make them walk in the street and risk being hit by a car?
Whatever yeshiva you went to,they sure didn’t put much stress on midos. Unless, of course, you were sleeping in shiur.
Rebb. Hadassah:
I don’t know about you, you probably have never attempted to master the shovel. I sometimes offer to clear my neighbor’s corner house. Let me tell (write) you, it’s not easy. (There should be a kimetorin heim for all heimishe attempting this career!) Then come the trucks and push the whole mess into what you were just clearing!! That’s what causes the mess at the corners.
Midwest2, what chutzpah!
Maybe it is you who should have gone to a shiur in derech eretz.
For the record, I comply with all the laws regarding keeping my sidewalk clean. Not only that, but because I have a driveway, I clean part of the street as well so I can get out.
I am opposed to a further, hidden tax on property owners to require them to do that which is the city’s responsibility.
As for calling me a “beheima,” apologize or I will ask the mods to ban you.
hadassa, please take your criticism elsewhere. You don’t know me; I suspect my sidewalk is cleaner than yours.
Wow! You must really be mad, waiting for the next storm to come even the score with him!!!!!
Don’t worry, Homeowner won’t answer you. You crushed him with the tax line you made, and he never even bothered responding.
That’s how he operates around here.
Classic. In fact, I suspect he has quite a few other screen-names in the CR.
Scream, yell, start fights, and scurry away into his world of delusion and sick Internet addiction.
LOL.
My husband did our sidewalk, pathways and part of driveway (so we could get out). Its spotless.
Shoveling for a healthy teenager/adult of any gender is not a major chore (unless you are talking about wet and heavy snow).
if anyone is so stircrazy that they have to come in here and fight like this perhaps they can channel their energy elsewhere.
if youare stuck at home, start cleaning for pesach.
🙂
I am very proud. My husband shoveled and salted before
6am. My son while waiting for the boss, shoveled by the
neighbors on both sides. People really appreciated being
able to walk on pavement.
I beleive that people should clean their sidewalk as a matter of mentchlichkeit, (I cleaned my sidewalk even when I was a tennent) but I dont see why the city can force people to do that or get a fine, they dont own the sidewalk (try to set up a picnic table there). Why dont they make people also clean the road? after all its in front of your house and nothing can keep the city from fining you with a $1,000….
Let’s not get so nasty!! Though one thing is very IMPORTANT!!!
IT IS EXTREMELY SLIPPERY OUT THERE AND YOU ARE MECHUYAV TO PUT SALT IN FRONT OF YOUR PROPERTY!!!Unfortunately some people do not take this seriously!! Don’t wait for a lawsuit do it now!!!
No! The city is mechuyav! its there sidewalk, just because they can force you to do it dosent make it your job.
I remember once being in the city a WEEK after a snow storm and of course everybody cleaned in front of there house but on the overpasses above the highway where no one lives was NOT cleaned.
One little bobcat can do a whole street in 2 minutes instead of letting senior citizens shovel for hours and getting heart attacks.
deiyezooger writes: “One little bobcat can do a whole street in 2 minutes instead of letting senior citizens shovel for hours and getting heart attacks.”
But who has a bobcat, and how much effort does it take to train the bobcat to shovel snow? Or do you hitch the critter to a plow?
@nfgo3, A bobcat is the name for the small tractors they use to plow sidewalks like they do in most places outside NYC.
I was expecting some people responding/disagreeing with me, hate to see this thread going down the page.
=DZ=
Nobody disagrees with me?
=DZ=
Sorry, DZ, but I agree with you. Actually, what you say is correct in theory, but practically, since by law the homeowner is obligated, it is his responsibility. (Maybe I’m disagreeing with you?)
In my family there were always a bunch of us so we would go outside and do our walk in 5 or 10 minutes and very often we would do the neighbors too. It goes quite fast with 5 or 6 people.
@onegoa Thats beutiful, I agree that when possible, people should do it as a matter of mentchlichkeit but the responsibility should be the city’s.
=DZ=
deiyezooger, do you realize that the city is having enough difficulty clearing our streets, especially the side streets. If you waited for them to do your sidewalk, you’d better have a very well-stocked freezer!!!!!!!!!!
I think they could have done it by now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.