An Opportunity to Shovel Snow

According to the local city code, citizens are required to have the snow removed their sidewalks by 10 AM and keep them clear. The ordinance mentions no fine or penalties for failure to comply. From the poor state of the sidewalks around town during these past wintery days, it appears no enforcement is happening.

As a community, we failed this time around to keep our sidewalks usable for pedestrians when the snow fell and the ice froze. This was a collective failure: while some did their part, many individuals, organizations, businesses and some parts of the government did not clear the public sidewalks crossing their property.

While I encourage all these groups to help keep our town walkable in winter, I think the government leadership, along with the media missed making a creative opportunity of all the snow. The media could raise awareness about the importance of safe sidewalks, and mention the ordinance. The government could enforce it more. While I don't know the penalty— or even how to find out about since it is not in the City code— I assume there's some fine. $50, perhaps?

Enforcing the show shoveling ordinance would achieve a number of things at once.

Directly, our city would become more walkable. This is a goal of the recently passed comprehensive plan, which starts out: Transportation systems facilitate all motorized and non-motorized movement through a community. While it's annoying that the Comprehensive Plan keeps framing biking and walking as "non-motorized transportation", the intention to support these activities is clearly there. Also directly, our government funds would be increased through the fines. At $50 per offense, it would take just 20 tickets to raise $1,000. From the sidewalks I saw, that could have been done in one neighborhood.

Indirectly, we get all the benefits of being a more walkable community. Improved health and the financial savings of being a one-car household are two real benefits I experience personally.

If our local government can get so organized about keeping our lawns short and beautiful, helping to keep our sidewalks clean and walkable seems possible.

Sure, getting fined for not shoveling snow would be no fun. As residents, we have the options to voluntary comply for the benefit of the community, not just because there's a law on the books. Residents also have the right to disagree with the ordinance and get the ordinance repealed, if that is the wish of the community.

But until either happens, we all lose by having an unenforced ordinance that makes pedestrians second class citizens when the snow falls.