Should Rochester Property Owners Be Ticketed for Not Clearing Sidewalks?

Anyone who has walked the sidewalks in our city this winter can attest to the condition of them. People in cars are even having difficulty getting down streets and into their driveways. It’s been a tough year. But even in a regular snow year, the sidewalks around here get the shaft.

I wrote about the city guidelines for sidewalk clearing back in January before these huge winter storms hit us. The city provides sidewalk plowing as a “supplemental service to help property owners clear their sidewalks during a substantial winter storm.” That word “supplemental” is key here. The city deploys those plows only if there has been 4″ of accumulation at a time (not when there is 2″ from one storm and 2″ a few days later).As responses rolled in and I did an informal poll of my neighbors, I learned that most people think the plows will come by as a matter of course, so they don’t need to clear their sidewalks.

According to City Code:If the snow has fallen after 8PM, the sidewalks are to be clear by 9AM. If it falls after 9AM, you have until 8PM. It’s also the duty of residents to clear anything leftover from city plows (and city contracted plows). The width of the path should be 4 feet.

Lots of cities were inundated with record snowfall and cold temperatures this winter. So how do they handle all the snow on their sidewalks?

In New York City:
The city’s Sanitation Department has issued over 10,000 tickets this winter. Property owners have 4 hours to clear sidewalks (they give you more time if it falls at night). $100 for the first fine; up to $350 when you get multiple fines.

In Chicago:
Over 200 tickets have been issued to property owners who failed to clear their sidewalks. Property owners have to clear a 5-foot wide path within 3 hours if the snow falls during the day. They issue warnings, then fine owners $50 (up to $1000 for business owners).

In Springfield, MA:
Residents are normally given 24 hours to clear sidewalks. Police have issued more than 200 tickets at $50 each.

In Worcester, MA:
They have had more than 100 inches of snow. The city has issued over $18,000 in fines for failure to clear snow.

Does this make people shovel?
In NYC, many of the unshoveled properties are vacant, so the tickets are ignored. In Springfield, police say most people shovel, but about 10% of property owners ignore citations repeatedly. But if they are vacant, they track down the owners. In Chicago, the city went a little easier given the amount of snow this year and started with warnings (they have only issued about half the tickets than the previous year.) But at least this shows that those getting around by mass transit and foot are given some thought in winter. For many people, driving isn’t an option. For others, mass transit and walking would be a viable option if sidewalks were clear.

Many people say it’s just been a tough snow year, so we shouldn’t expect the sidewalks to be clear. Hell, in Reading, PA, the city stopped ticketing residents this week, because it couldn’t even keep up with its own clearing.

The City of Rochester currently does not issue citations for sidewalk clearing. Should it? Would warnings and citations encourage people to clear their sidewalks? Or is it simply a matter of educating the community that it is their responsibility? Who would enforce it? And would the money spent on enforcement be better spent simply stepping up city sidewalk plowing service?