I have to admit, I was naïve.
When I saw the work crews building a nice wide sidewalk on the north side of S.R. 59 on the eastern city limits of Kent I thought that finally, 35 years after a two-lane road was turned into a four-lane speedway, the pedestrians of our community might have a fighting chance of travelling in safety.
Imagine my disappointment upon returning to Kent from Ravenna at noon today (Jan. 3, 2012), after the first storm of the winter, to see a pedestrian walking in the highway. The question that I must ask, as I have in each of the last 20 years or more, is what will it take for our community to take seriously our responsibility to our neighbors? The follow up question is: do we need better laws or enforcement of them because we have failed to love our neighbors so grossly?
This issue has been discussed ad naseam by Kent City Council over the years, with the conclusion being as recently as 2009 that the sidewalks belong to the property owners and that unless someone recklessly impedes the sidewalk, our current ordinances will not be enforced. While a case can be made that the city should be responsible for maintaining pedestrian thoroughfares — especially since we plow so much snow on them while clearing the streets — each of us as property owners, residents and tenants can very easily take the time to make sure that our walks are free of snow and ice, overhanging branches and other impediments. If we cannot, we need to find someone who can do it for us.
I have had some interesting encounters over the years with people that are mad because of my “pet peeve” about this; some that hold advanced degrees who tell me that their health will not allow them to shovel. To these folks I suggest you look at the bulletin board at the post office to find someone who will do it for less than the price of a dinner on the town.
The city has used some soft public relations tactics to encourage public responsibility, and those are to be commended. The challenge is of course that we do not make suggestions to our citizens and property owners on other matters of public safety. We either provide it as a service or we enforce our laws.
What is perhaps most interesting is the number of businesses, who rely on pedestrians for sales, who cannot get their act together to call someone to plow their sidewalks. On countless occasions many of us pedestrians have informed business managers of this basic civic responsibility only to be told, “It is not my job.” Our large number of irresponsible absentee landlords who do not make sure their tenants shovel, even though they manage to get out of their driveways, also contributes to the morass. Comparing the condition of sidewalks on rental property with owner occupied tells anyone who thinks about it that someone needs to light a fire under someone.
Ironically, at the same time that we were widening S.R. 59 to improve traffic flow, the city adopted a set of ordinances that reflect basic thinking throughout our nation regarding the basic responsibility of property owners to assure that sidewalks are kept safe and clear 24/7, 365 days a year. Simply enforcing these ordinances in one neighborhood per storm would send the message that we really believe that every person in our community should be treated fairly and given safe passage.
This post would not be fair or complete if I didnt take the time to thank those who year after year, storm after storm, have done the right thing and cleared your walks. You do not know how grateful those of us who walk are for this simple act of kindness.
I also understand that most of the people that need to hear this message do not read the paper or the Patch, so if I sound peeved, it isn't at those of you who understand the need to do the right thing. To anyone who can do something about this I ask, must we wait for someone to die before we learn to love our neighbors?
Editor's note: below is the text of Kent's city ordinance regarding snow and ice removal.
521.15 SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL.
(a) The owner, occupant or other person having the care of any building, premises or
unimproved lot of land abutting any street where there is a graded sidewalk or a sidewalk graded
and paved shall, within the first twenty-four hours after daylight after any snow ceases to fall, cause
the same to be removed from the paved or traveled part of such sidewalk. The provisions of this
section shall also apply to the falling of snow or ice from any building or from any other source onto
a sidewalk.
(b) Snow or ice shall not be moved into the gutter when the gutter has been previously
cleaned, and in no event shall snow or ice from any area other than the pedestrian walk be moved
in the gutter.
(c) Whenever a sidewalk or any part thereof along any building, premises or unimproved
lot of land is encumbered with ice, the owner, occupant or other person having the care of such
premises or lot, shall cause such sidewalk to be made safe and convenient by removing the ice
therefrom, or by covering the same with sand or other suitable substance.
(d) In the event the owner, occupant or person having the care of any building, premises
or unimproved lot within the City, fails to comply with the provisions of subsection (a) hereof the
Director of Service is authorized to cause such sidewalk to be made safe by removal of snow or ice
therefrom, or by covering the same with sand or other suitable substance as the Director may
determine at his/her discretion.
(e) After completion of the work, as authorized in subsection (d) hereof, the Director of
Service shall give five days notice by certified mail to the owner of such land, at his/her last known
address, to pay the cost of the removal of such snow or ice, or of the covering of the same with sand
or other suitable substance. This notice shall be accompanied by a statement of the amount of cost
incurred, and that in the event the cost of this work is not paid within five days after the mailing of
such notice, then this amount shall be certified to the County Auditor for collection the same as other
taxes and assessments are collected. (Ord. 1976-20. Passed 2-18-76.)
521.16 SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL AFFECTING PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS.
(a) No owner or occupant or other person having the responsibility of removal, or the
person who actually removes the snow from any building, premises or improved or unimproved lot
abutting any street, shall remove snow and ice from the premises of said property so as to cause an
obstruction in the travel or parking lane of any abutting street, or to cause a view obstruction on the
abutting roadway, or at ingress or egress points to the roadway, or to cause obstruction to pedestrian
travel on the sidewalks. Said actions are hereby declared to be a public nuisance and civil offense.
(Ord. 2009-115. Passed 10-21-09).
Sadly, I don't think that business owners/employees will do it themselves unless forced to. I'm one of those rare birds who won't shop with local businesses that I know flaunt the snow regulations (a certain sandwich shop is surely missing my sub business-yeah right) but the fact is, most customers don't speak up and those that do (you, me, who else?) are typically dismissed. So as not to end on a sour note, I must add there are exceptions - yesterday, I saw a doctor in Twinsburg shoveling the sidewalk and ramp leading to his office door, and to the business next door to his. Conscientious people and good intentions prevail occasionally, but most of the time, I think we (society/government) needs to step in and 'encourage' folks to do the right - safe - thing.
For instance, when I shovel my sidewalks and driveways after a heavy snow, the hardest part of the task is removing the snow plowed into my driveway apron by the city plows plowing parking spaces. It takes me longer to shovel that out than to shovel 250 feet of sidewalks, lots of parking areas and driveways. Likewise, we seem to be able to plow parking spaces quite well, and plow street lanes onto sidewalks. Putting safety of pedestrians before the convenience of parking (and making parking pay for the snow removal) would make more sense. Those of us working on this issue for years have always been told that the city does not have the resources to clear pedestrian thoroughfares. I would suggest that the city contract with the university because they do it exceptionally well. Indeed yesterday I ran on 3 miles of sidewalk that was totally free of ice, and most of that sidewalks was 8' or more wide. (there are probably dozens of miles of sidewalk on campus that are kept clear.) This is a design and a maintenance issue, as the university has learned to place sidewalks where snow plows wont fill them back up with snow...for the most part. https://www.facebook.com/groups/kentsafestreets/
P.S. Ms. Dander, I beg to differ on one of your points. KSU does not do a good job with the walks on South Willow Street or College Street. The only walk on South Willow between College and Main that is always kept clear is at 224.
Am I thanking the city for letting me shovel my own walk? Why are we who are shoveling pitching in ANY money? Whats to be done with the money? Who is overseeing it? Who do you trust to? The main high car traffic AND pedestrian traffic areas are SR59, Water Street, Lake Street and roads leading directly to KSU. These businesses need to shovel more than the parking lot/ walkway into their business. They are also are on the KSU bus routes and NEED shoveled. Lets not punish the entire city with a NEW FEE when it is some people. Chris: are you meaning the CIty should PAY US...the ones who shovel our own walks??? Im good with that.
This should be on every billboard, heck, even on drivers licenses, since no one seems to know it!!
The snow just makes it that much worse. Fresh, deep, unshoveled snow on the sidewalk is a pain to traverse, but nothing is quite as fun as attempting to survive the craggy wasteland of old frozen, icy footsteps. Might as well get my crampons out just to walk to the store. If you need or desire to walk to Acme/Drug Mart/etc down Rt 59 and there is snow, GOOD LUCK. No one shovels except the university, but even if they did, the snow plows come through and throw inches and sometimes feet of wet, dirty snow right onto the sidewalk. What should be a brisk 20 minute walk turns into a nightmare that clocks in around 40 minutes. Niether of the churches along the way shovel their walks yet always manage to get their lots plowed. I might also add these same churches manage to hire lawn care throughout the summer. So why not hire someone in the winter to do the sidewalks? Especially since they are on both sides of the street. Both sidewalks are always a mess. I shovel my walk, my neighbors, and the elderly lady across the street (and no, she doesn't and never has asked me to do it, it's just the right thing to do, so I do it).
Maybe you're going a little bit far. Some people are very elderly and frail (my neighbor is in her 90's, can barely get about and ain't getting any younger). Or perhaps you're down and out with the flu. Or you broke your arm. Or you're in the hospital and not even home. Or you're a new and overly exhausted single mother. And the list of possibilities goes on and on. Sometimes neighbors have to be good neighbors and help each other out. At least, that's what should happen. We have a few ugly vacant rentals on our street and you know what, rather than point fingers at who is to blame, we (other neighbors on the street) take turns shoveling the rentals sidewalks. It seems to be an unspoken rule on our street. Maybe I just live in a fantastic little part of Kent. We're not perfect, but we're all good neighbors who seem to know when it's time to step up and help out. And everyone should have a place to call home.