Icy Sidewalks Hard To Navigate In Power Chair
Winter weather has arrived, my first post-stroke winter without a car. I can bundle up to deal with cold temperatures, but modest snow can leave me stranded at home or looking for alternate routes.
I frequently take the sidewalk along Olive (above) from 16th to 14th to reach transit options. I passed over the ice you see but it was very rough, not easy on my power chair. If we’d have had more snow I couldn’t have gotten through this way.
I’ll learn which sidewalks get cleared and which do not, altering my route to avoid problem areas.
— Steve Patterson
The walks on the north side of any east-west street are usually clearer, due to solar melting. Still, it’s the law (unfortunately, rarely enforced) that the adjacent property property owner keep the public sidewalk clear, at all times. If you’re seeing a pattern of neglect, contacting the CSB may be your best solution to your problem. And, who knows, you may even have grounds for an ADA complaint, as well . . . .
Until recently utility work was being performed on the north side so I got into the habit of going to the south side of Olive. Some places I have little choice because of curb ramps. For example, I cannot cross Tucker on the north side of Washington now due to construction.
Beyond law, It’s just common decency to keep your sidewalks clear, particularly in a place like STL where the temperature creates perfect conditions of ice formation. Why so few in STL clear walks after a storm is strange. Little old ladies, disabled folks, postal workers, dog walkers, runners, they all appreciate it.
On my stretch of Pernod the folks adamantly against clearing the sidewalk (and there isn’t many) are the same folks who mow their lawn 2 weeks later then they should, need to paint their eave fascias, have overgrown landscaping, and smoke cigarettes on the front porch.
As a dog walker, I agree. Where I’m from in Iowa they actually do enforce clearing with tickets, not to mention you are much more likely to be shunned for being the jerk that is too lazy or wimpy to put up with a little work or cold. Somewhat related – I can’t believe all the people I see driving with frost or snow covering their windows.
Little old ladies, disabled folks, postal workers, dog walkers, and runners? This probably came out different than you intended because even the young and non-disabled need clear sidewalks. However, in most suburban location, your list does represent most of the people who actually use the sidewalks with the exception of little old ladies and the disabled who would have nowhere they could walk to.
Why is a destination needed for a walk? Walking is good exercise even if it’s 5 times around the block.
I was in Canada over the holidays and there was about an 8″ snowfall (and nobody panicked! But I digress …). By mid-morning the municipality had finished clearing all the major roads and were working on clearing the sidewalks! I was truly surprised that the city cleared the sidewalks. It is true that Canadians generally pay more in taxes than we do, but they expect – and get – better services for it.
I was born, raised and educated in Canada. While I agree Canadians generally pay more in taxes than Americans – while expecting and getting better services for it – this is the very first I have come across the municipality removing snow from residential sidewalks. What was the municipality?
I grew up in Wisconsin, and most munucipalities has regulations that the sidewalk had to be cleared by about 10:00 after a snow. It was never strictly enforced in residential areas, but peer pressure worked in most cases.
I remember seein on the news a few years ago that St. Louis had a law that, if it snowed and you did nothing, that you clouldn’t be held liable (snow is an act of nature). Although not stated, it left the implication that if you tried to clear the snow and missed a bit, thet you could be sued.
I still shovel my sidewalk. By the end of the day, the bit of snow that I couldn’t scape up has usually melted and dried up. The couple of neighbors that dont shovel often have snow/ice on their walks for days. But the number that don’t shovel is less each year.
Sorry, but give me a break. EVERYONE has a hard time navigating icy sidewalks…not just the disabled.
@DC_STL – Are you a STL native in DC? If so, there are quite a few of us here. Consider the MO State Society! As for the topic at hand, I think this is a matter of population density. The higher the density, the higher the tax base and the higher the level of service. For instance, outside my building, they vacuum the leaves Every Day in the fall, and I have yet to see ice accumulate. We do pay higher taxes though, and there are a lot more of us per block.
This isn’t a taxation or a level of service issue, this is a personal responsibility and an enforcement issue. If you own property, it’s your responsibility (or your tenant’s) to keep the sidewalk clear. I don’t expect the city to clear the sidewalks, nor do I expect to pay for that level of service, in these examples, I DO expect the government to keep the property it owns clear, be it in front of a library, a fire station or on a bridge.
Why not have the people receiving welfare payments shovel the snow? The taxpayers are paying them. We may as well get some work from them. During the ’30’s my grandfather worked for the WPA. They did a lot of public works projects. Then when they were not doing WPA work they were looking for a real job. Not sitting home smoking, drinking and watching cable t.v.
Steve, it sounds like you need some snow chains or snow tires for your wheelchair. Just kidding, all landowners should be responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of their property.