| Author | Message | ||
     kathy Citizen Username: Kathy Post Number: 718 Registered: 5-2001 |
We seem to live in the right part of town (and by right part I mean "close to Newark") where we always get people coming by offering to shovel the snow. Last week the snow was light and I shoveled it myself (my neighbor had done my part of the sidewalk with his snowblower). But on Sunday the snow/rain/slush was still coming down at 9 p.m. although what was on the ground had already frozen up. A man came by and offered to shovel and we took him up on it. An hour later he had made very little progress and asked if we had a metal shovel that might work better than his. We gave him one and after another hour he had made a little more progress but the shovel was a bent and mangled mess. At that point he/we gave up for the night. Twelve pounds of snow melt the next day did not make much of a dent, either. I did get some ice off the sidewalk today when the temperature briefly got above freezing. But there are very few stretches of public sidewalk in my neighborhood (including mine) that are really safe to walk on. I am reminded of the truly bad winter of ten years ago. It snowed pretty regularly twice a week for the entire winter, except for the first week of February when it snowed every day. On one memorable January day, we got a foot of snow by noon. Luckily my husband was working from home and the two of us were able to clear the walks and driveway. By five p.m. it had rained and then frozen. Anything that hadn't yet been cleared (including some streets) did not get cleared for a very long time. My son normally walked to school, but I had to drive him until well into March because sidewalks never did get cleared. | ||
| gtonne Citizen Username: Gtonne Post Number: 24 Registered: 9-2002 |
FYI - Maplewood is issuing warning notices for unshoveled sidewalks. A couple of my neighbors received them today. They got a warning notice stating that they have 2 days to remove the snow. It states that the warning will be kept on file for six months and they will be given a summons if they repeat the violation within that time. It also states that "up to $1000 fine and 90 days imprisonment may be imposed if found guilty. (Maplewood Code Chapter 203)." Boy, that'd be hard to explain to the boss - 90 days out of work for not shoveling snow !! | ||
| Ukealalio Citizen Username: Ukealalio Post Number: 374 Registered: 6-2003 |
I confess, I'm being judgemental, shoot me. Not about the occasional offenders but the "every time it snows, they do nothings". I hope they get fines before someone hurts themselves. Maybe this should have been in the Pet Peeves thread. | ||
| Mergele Citizen Username: Mergele Post Number: 36 Registered: 7-2003 |
I have to chime in here. As a single woman, who works in the city and has various and sundry joint injuries from an icy street incident a long time ago, I hire someone to clear my walks and driveway for the season knowing that I'm not up to more than occasional recreational shoveling. This time around, I was out of town for the holiday weekend, my snow removal guy apparently cleared everything before it had completely finished snowing and I came home to a dusting of snow on top of a bunch of ice. I'd happily go throw salt or something on it all - except that I managed to take a header on the platform getting off the 5:30 train tonight in SO and may have wrecked my good knee. I tend to side with those calling for a little understanding this time around. "Cats climb because being ruler of all you survey sucks when all you survey is ankles." -- Unknown | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 2378 Registered: 5-2001 |
Mergele: I'm assuming the "header" was due to ice on the station platform (a large section of the platform in South Orange looked really dangerous this evening). If so, you might not have taken the header if NJT had cleared properly. Clearing your sidewalk (or at least sanding and/or salting) could save someone else from getting their good knee wrecked. | ||
| rckymtn Citizen Username: Rckymtn Post Number: 224 Registered: 5-2001 |
Marian, your judging is the harshest kind of all, by assuming that if you can do something, everyone else can too. By assuming that I and others have never fallen on the ice and been seriously injured. By assuming that because you have a corner lot you have to work harder than others. By assuming everyone in town is close enough to King's to make a trip after work, and has a car to get there and the means to shop there. To assume that your life is more difficult because you have a young child and work in the city. There are many here who are stretched to the very limit financially to afford to live here, who don't have cars, or maybe just one, who can't afford to hire a service to shovel their walks when it snows (why anyone would ever buy a house and then pay someone to take care of it for them is beyond me), who are scared when men and teenagers from Newark and Irvington wearing ski masks and dark clothes pound on their front doors at night carrying shovels, regardless of their intent. I see that we live in two different places. But rather than applaud the economic and social diversity of our town, you judge those of apparently lesser means and abilities. But I compliment you on helping your neighbor, about whom I'd sure you'd be complaining if you weren't there to help. And now that you've read this, I can safely say that I've been pulling everybody's leg all day long, and that I sincerely wish those lazybutts next door would get out of their wheelchairs and do some work for a change. Their icy sidewalks are making my property values go down. Vote Bush. | ||
| marian Citizen Username: Marian Post Number: 77 Registered: 9-2001 |
Re: Rocky's Last Post Leave it to Republicans to use deceptive tactics. | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 12 Registered: 10-2001 |
Yes, I did shovel my neighbor's sidewalk, so I'm all for helping each other out. But, let me say this: Ultimately, IT IS THE HOMEOWNER'S RESPONSIBLITY TO CLEAR THEIR SIDEWALKS! (yes, or pay to have them cleared.) There are a few homeowners on Woodland Road (prime walking street for both commuters AND schoolchildren) who have not cleared their walks since the last storm. One is on a corner lot (corner of Beach) It's been a week since the last storm and a new one is coming. Throw down some salt, people. | ||
| gozerbrown Citizen Username: Gozerbrown Post Number: 322 Registered: 3-2002 |
I'm sure we'll be discussing this further with the pending snowstorm in a couple of days. I am just sick of walking on the street on Montrose Ave (a pretty busy street where people speed all the time) to Mountain Station. I don't give two craps how you get your sidewalks clean or how you have to pay for them...blah blah blah. If you don't want the responsibility of home ownership, rent an apartment. | ||
| redY67 Citizen Username: Redy67 Post Number: 220 Registered: 2-2003 |
On a nicer note, my neighbors were wonderful to me last time it snowed very heavily. They shoveled me out, which took a couple of hours. My husband was out of town and I was home alone with two kids. I was out for two hours and didn't make a dent. I had to wait until they went down for bed before I could get out again, and before I knew it everything was shoveled. I gave them a big thank you with dinner at the Roman Gourmet. | ||
| tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 2139 Registered: 12-2001  |
Those who didn't shovel will really enjoy the combination of new snow on existing ice - a tort lawyer's dream come true. | ||
| amandacat Citizen Username: Amandacat Post Number: 352 Registered: 8-2001  |
Hey, does anyone know, offhand, who is responsible for that plot of undeveloped land (and accompanying sidewalk) on Valley between Oakland and Lincoln, between the Atlas gas station and the blue and white house? I'm sure that anyone who regularly walks that route knows why I'm asking . . | ||
| ReallyTrying Citizen Username: Reallytrying Post Number: 262 Registered: 1-2003  |
Question: what do sand and cat litter do to ice? Do they melt it, or simply provide traction? And does it matter which brand of cat litter you use? I have to confess we didn't do the best job on Sunday: it just iced up too fast, and neither my spouse nor I are physically able to break through the ice. Surfaces are walkable, but not as clear as I would like. I put down some salt, which didn't seem to do much. (Perhaps I didn't use enough?) I'd like to try again. | ||
| Tom Reingold Citizen Username: Noglider Post Number: 1888 Registered: 1-2003  |
This thread made me all huffy-mad at my neighbors. Now, the sidewalk sections that are partially covered with ice are hazardous. They are a result of less than perfect shoveling which still shows an effort. Sections of the sidewalk where no one put in any effort at all have hard packed snow which provides good, safe traction. Ironic. Though I'm sure it would be hard to push a stroller over those sections. Tom Reingold the prissy-pants There is nothing | ||
| Brett Citizen Username: Bmalibashksa Post Number: 636 Registered: 7-2003 |
Sand is used to melt ice where Cat litter is used to provide traction. When Salt mixes with water it causes the water to freeze at a lower temperature. So if you spread a lot of salt the of water that melts (by the sun) cannot refreeze (Unless it’s really cold, and it has been). Cat litter will just cause the surface of the ice to become gritty, therefore providing traction. If you can’t break the ice I think everyone would appreciate you adding salt throughout the day to try and get it to melt. | ||
| Maplemom Citizen Username: Maplemom Post Number: 85 Registered: 7-2001 |
I have a friend who lived a street over from me. Her husband works very long days and sometimes very late hours. After having a new second baby she complained that she couldn't go out and shovel and leave a newborn inside alone (along with her 3 year old) and her husband would sometimes get home past 11. Apparently this bothered some of her neighbors and one of them called 'downtown'. She got a notice to have all snow removed from her sidewalks within a certain time (I think it was 12-24 hours) or she would be fined (maybe 1 or 2 hundred?) This all happened last year during that horrible winter and I felt badly for her since I also had a new baby and felt enslaved by the snow and two small children, helplessly watching piles of snow fall and a late-working husband. BUT, we somehow always managed to remove the snow; my husband always said it was wicked-rude to leave snow on the sidewalks for the people walking to the train. (We broke down and bought a snow-blower this year...) My point is... if you really want someone to HAVE to remove their snow, I think you can call down and complain, and someone gives some sort of 'ticket'. I have heard this is true for neighbors who don't mow their yards. Again, all of this is hearsay so forgive any misquoting on my part. | ||
| tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 2142 Registered: 12-2001 |
I think I would shovel a neighbor's walk before calling the town on them. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 1860 Registered: 5-2001  |
when the kids were really young, i used to put the one year old in the car, with heater on and a Raffi tape while I shoveled our driveway! The other two toddlers could be "trusted" to sit in front of The Wizard of Oz or something in the den without getting into anything. | ||
| eliz Citizen Username: Eliz Post Number: 691 Registered: 5-2001  |
ffof - just a warning - where I grew up this is considered a very dangerous thing. While I realize we don't usually get this much snow here it is quite possible for the exhaust to get blocked by snow and the car to fill with carbon monoxidie. There was a tragic story again this year about a child that died this way. Not a great idea. | ||
| clkelley Citizen Username: Clkelley Post Number: 68 Registered: 6-2002 |
I agree with tjohn ... and if you can't / won't shovel for your neighbor, at least knock on their door and talk to them yourself before turning them in to the authorities. If they are really just lazy bastards, by all means turn them in. If not, do your best to help them problem-solve. Help them network to find a teenager willing to do the shoveling for money, for example. Turning them in "behind their backs" is weak and frankly, IMHO, mean. Practicing compassion is much harder, but worth it in the long run. |
