| Author | Message | ||
     Oldstone Citizen Username: Rogers4317 Post Number: 505 Registered: 6-2004  |
who agrees? i almost broke my neck this morning in dark. grrrrrrr. | ||
| sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 3029 Registered: 5-2001 |
It's the law. And it is possible ... we (mainly my spouse) managed to get things clear yesterday afternoon, although it was not the easiest clearing job by any means. If you get to the point where the darker pavement shows through, you are most of the way there, with some help from the sun. I noticed that some people had good success with rock salt or salt substitutes also. | ||
| Case Citizen Username: Case Post Number: 1014 Registered: 2-2005 |
I spread rock salt, waited a bit and the shoveling was a lot easier. | ||
| Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 6920 Registered: 5-2001 |
It should all melt tomorrow when the temperature goes up to the 40s. | ||
| C Bataille Citizen Username: Nakaille Post Number: 2390 Registered: 5-2001 |
Yes, Joan, but in the meantine we all have an obligation to clear our sidewalks of the ice. What's the local ordinance? I believe it is 12 or 24 hours after the precipitation stops that the sidewalks must be cleared. I chopped and shoved yesterday in the early afternoon to make mine passable. Many people had to go to work today and all children will be going to school in the morning tomorrow before the temp really rises. (Remember they predicted we'd get into the 40's today already - you know you can't really count on weather forecasting!) Please get out there and shovel/chop, everyone. Thanks. | ||
| MBJ Citizen Username: Mbj Post Number: 87 Registered: 10-2005 |
I'll wait for the warmer weather on Tuesday as well. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 111 Registered: 8-2005 |
How long before the Libertarian starts whining about his "personal freedom" to not shovel his walk? | ||
| C Bataille Citizen Username: Nakaille Post Number: 2393 Registered: 5-2001 |
MBJ, may no one slip on your sidewalk and decide to sue you. They would certainly have a case. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 10304 Registered: 5-2001 |
Joan is one of the leading advocates of shoveling early and often. She walks to the train station down the hill from Prospect to Valley and is well aware of the problems. When I was a claims adjustor for an insurance company (one of the worst jobs in the world imho) we turned down all claims where the side walk had not been shoveled since this was an act of God in the view of the courts. If you shoveled and someone fell anyway it was your fault. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 3642 Registered: 1-2004  |
Bob, Isn't that a little backwards? | ||
| MBJ Citizen Username: Mbj Post Number: 88 Registered: 10-2005 |
They can walk around my sidewalk for a couple of days CB, no biggie. | ||
| Ond Citizen Username: Ond Post Number: 55 Registered: 3-2004 |
Nice attitude, MBJ. I guess it would kill you to go out there and spread a little salt on your sidewalk. Better to have someone fall and get hurt due to your negligence/laziness. | ||
| C Bataille Citizen Username: Nakaille Post Number: 2394 Registered: 5-2001 |
Yeah, and maybe we can generate some municipal income by giving them summonses for walking in the street! No kidding, today as the sun was just rising I nearly ran over two people walking in the middle of the street to avoid icy sidewalks. The side of the street was also icy. The only clear area was literally in the middle! If you're too (fill in the word) to shovel, at least put some salt and sand out. Is that too much? Bob, that is so bass-ackward, no wonder the insurance industry is so loathed, and rich. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 10308 Registered: 5-2001 |
Cathy, loathed yes, rich is debateable.  Edited to add: A huge sheet of ice just came off our building on Water Street in lower Manhattan. By the grace of the Creator nobody got hit!! Scary! | ||
| C Bataille Citizen Username: Nakaille Post Number: 2396 Registered: 5-2001 |
Bob, I'm not claiming that people who work in the insurance industry are rich, just the stockholders and top management! Cathy (former Prudential employee) | ||
| Mr. Big Poppa Citizen Username: Big_poppa Post Number: 487 Registered: 7-2004  |
Even the Creator waited until Monday to start clearing the ice!  | ||
| flugermongers Citizen Username: Flugermongers Post Number: 554 Registered: 5-2001  |
Did it every occur to you that some people are old and/or disabled? They say people over 50 shouldn't shovel snow. Maybe you should take initiative and go ask your neighbor if there's a reason they haven't shoveled. | ||
| flugermongers Citizen Username: Flugermongers Post Number: 555 Registered: 5-2001 |
sidenote: I won't use salt - bad for the environment, and it hurts my pets' paws. Good alternative for gripping, but not melting - kitty litter. | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 381 Registered: 10-2001 |
Yes, those pet safe pellets are great, but I'd rather use salt than nothing at all. Many more people than dogs walk past my house. No one's mentioned the danger of hundreds of school children (with heavy backpacks) negotiating the sidewalks, and then yes, resorting to walking in the street. Come on people, your laziness in waiting for the rain to melt your sheets of ice made it very hard for a lot of school kids, and commuters, to start their day off safely. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1808 Registered: 6-2002  |
In my case it is not laziness - I put my back out over the weekend and can barely walk right now, let alone chip ice off the sidewalk. Anybody wants to volunteer to clear my path, feel free. | ||
| MBJ Citizen Username: Mbj Post Number: 91 Registered: 10-2005 |
I'm a stockholder in an insurance company and I'm not rich. If I was, I'd hire someone to chip the ice off my sidewalk. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1809 Registered: 6-2002 |
PS I have a kid who walks to school, so believe me I know what people mean - but I just can't do anything about it. There is no 1-800-clear-my-path service available that I'm aware of. I know nobody to call for this, or I would have done it. | ||
| Oldstone Citizen Username: Rogers4317 Post Number: 506 Registered: 6-2004 |
how 'bout salt or some other melting, pet-friendly chemical spread? with all the hills in this town, the nerve/ambivalence of some neighbors is mind-boggling and dangerous. i walked in the middle of the street this morning because several neighbors still don't have the common courtesy to remove the ice. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1810 Registered: 6-2002 |
Is there a service you can call where you can arrange to have somebody drive to Home Depot to get some ice melter, bring it back to your house and spread it on your path? If there is, I'd like their number. | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 382 Registered: 10-2001 |
Even someone with a bad back can sprinkle some rock salt. I do hope your back feels better, tho, CLK. (No sarcasm or anything) And no, there's no 800 number, but what about asking a neighbor or friend for a favor, since your back is out? Or how old is your child? Maybe he/she could do it. We were away, but we knew the ice was bad. We called our neighbor who kindly salted our sidewalk as well as theirs. | ||
| Oldstone Citizen Username: Rogers4317 Post Number: 507 Registered: 6-2004 |
do you have any neighbors? do you have any friends nearby? the people on my street that NEED assistance get it from their neighbors. or they call a friend nearby that will throw a shovel in the car and go over and do it for them like i do for my incapacitated friends. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1811 Registered: 6-2002 |
I honestly do not have any close friends who live locally. I have a few acquaintances, mainly people I've met via MOL. My family are in Philadelphia, New England, California, and Ireland. I don't know my neighbors well enough to ask them for favors, I hate to admit. I am not permanently disabled, I put my back out a couple of days ago and can barely walk. Spreading salt is out of the question. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 10314 Registered: 5-2001 |
In a normal snow many people will give a hand. However, the mess Saturday night was really an ice storm and chipping ice takes a long time, especially if you don't have salt or Ice Melt or if you are opposed to using it for enviornmental reasons. Have the Lawn Police been handing out summons for unshoveled walks? I have to say the normally efficient public works department didn't exactly cover themselves with glory either (sorry Eric). It looks like they used salt instead of plowing and many side streets were still in bad shape this morning. I think it turned to cold for the salt to be effective. | ||
| Ond Citizen Username: Ond Post Number: 56 Registered: 3-2004 |
Homeownership has its privelages AND its responsibilities, whether you are young, old, healthy, or disabled. If you cannot handle it yourself, arrange for someone to do it for you. Having taken a couple of hard falls a couple of years ago on the way to the train, I have no sympathy for anybody who doesn't clear their walk for any reason. I feel for you CLK, I really do. But just because you have a bad back doesn't mean you should wish it on somebody else. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1812 Registered: 6-2002 |
Just tell me who to call, please, as I really do (did) want to get it taken care of. It would be a great public service to everybody to know what to do in a situation like this. I don't know what the temp is out today as I haven't been outside all day. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1813 Registered: 6-2002 |
I would like to add, I have frequently ranted on the side of the "clear your sidewalk" crowd, and I agree with you. I just don't know how to work this problem at this point in time. I'm honestly looking for a good suggestion. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11962 Registered: 1-2003  |
MBJ, I don't buy it. It's not for you to say if it's a biggie for people to walk around your sidewalk. It's for you to clear it and make it safe. At Bed Bath and Beyond, we got some blue crystals of some non-salt stuff that works about as well and is said to be benign for the environment. I used it in the previous snow (not this past weekend's). As luck had it, we returned from a movie at midnight on Saturday, so we shoveled our walk then (and our neighbors'), which was easy, and it paid off, given how it froze everywhere else on Sunday. | ||
| susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 1286 Registered: 3-2002 |
CLK, Best wishes and feel better soon! As I listen to people jump on CLK while she is down (literally), I continue to thank my stars that I don't have a sidewalk to deal with. Sad but true. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1814 Registered: 6-2002 |
And I also want to add that I don't wish this pain on ANYBODY. I do NOT want anybody to fall on my sidewalk - I do want to take responsibility - I just can't find anybody to clear the path for me. I don't know what to do. I need a concrete suggestion, not some vague "call your friends." I already said I don't have close friends who live locally - I have a few acquaintainces, but not anybody I know so well that I could beg them into ice-chipping duty. I'm not a social isolate, but I am a working mom and don't have much time for a meaningful social life. Lots of people here feel free to criticize me, but not one of you has PL-ed me or offered me a hand. That's neighborliness, for you. | ||
| MBJ Citizen Username: Mbj Post Number: 92 Registered: 10-2005 |
Relax, Reingold. It'll be gone by tomorrow. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11964 Registered: 1-2003 |
My father noticed his mother needed summer clothes. She said, "What for? June, July, August, the summer's over." Why do you think there's an ordinance that says you must clear the walk? When it was written, I bet they knew snow and ice melts eventually. I agree there are often circumstances when it's hard to clear the walk. I give people the benefit of the doubt. But today's situation is bad. Too many people have given up. CLK, I sent you an email, volunteering to help. Have you received it? | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1816 Registered: 6-2002 |
I didn't get it Tom, but thanks. I think I have your e-mail address and maybe even phone # someplace. (being one of the acquaintances I referred to ...) I don't know what the situation is outside at this precise moment, but I'll see if I can get as far as the walk and see how bad it is. If it's still really bad, I'll call you. Thanks. Still, there is an ongoing concern here that there really is no reliable method for people to use who are temporarily unwell (suppose you had the flu, for example). I think if you're permanently disabled, or just too busy to clear your walk regularly, you can get a landscaper or somebody (though I'm not sure of this). Or, sadly, you sell your house. But if you're truly too sick to take care of it, your neighbors get to complain about you on MOL. This bothers me a lot. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11966 Registered: 1-2003 |
We're not complaining about you or people like you, CLK. I'm complaining about the trend. There are too many uncleared walks. I don't know who is unable and who is able, so I won't be angry at individuals. The aggregate picture means that some people are willing but unable to clear their walks. I don't know who they are, but I'm not happy about it. | ||
| CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 1817 Registered: 6-2002 |
Correction, Tom. You're not complaining about me or others like me, but some here most definitely are. | ||
| AlleyGater Citizen Username: Alleygater Post Number: 1072 Registered: 10-2004 |
Just for the record: This snow removal (really an ice removal) was particularly difficult and time consuming. What I found was that everyone who normally uses a snow blower (almost everyone in Maplewood) just didn't even bother. So essentially very few driveways and sidewalks were cleared. Having said all that, CLK, my advice to you is "fudge em"!!! |
