Recently the temps warmed up, melting snow and allowing rain to fall on Chicago's fair streets. Shortly thereafter the weather returned to wintery normal: very cold.
This phenomenon known as winter weather (which occurs annually!) causes all sorts of havoc, such as ice, snow, slippery conditions, cold and even shivers! Anyway, the rain, followed by the cold formed many patches of treacherous ice on sidewalks. (Not streets so much, as they are well-salted.) Furthermore, snow that fell yesterday has now covered the ice, causing hidden ice! Yikes!
All my civilized readers are probably saying, Hey, shouldn't someone take care of these sidewalks? Like, maybe the people who live in the homes adjacent to them?
Yes!
Dear property owners, inhabitants and likewise, it is your responsibility to keep your sidewalk clear. And, if you at least try to, I can't even sue you when I fall on my face/knee/rear.
This brilliant Chicagoist post sums it all up, law-wise. Seriously: you are obligated to shovel and clear your sidewalk. Legally obligated.
And you should also shovel because falling isn't fun. Even if you drive everyplace you go, it's good for you that everyone doesn't. I completely realize that shoveling and clearing ice is a bother. But it's good for the rest of us. It's good for our community -- I'd love to think my neighbors love our neighborhood and Chicago enough to clear their walks and keep passersby safe and happy. That's a pretty nice notion, isn't it?
I've found awesome Thank You For Shoveling sign from the city! I'm going to try to print some and pass them around my street to my good neighbors!
(Granted, I live in an apartment building that does the clearing for me. They also do beautiful gardening for me in the summer! Renting isn't so bad, sometimes.)
I'm hoping to get deputized by Chicago's next mayor so I can issue citations for not shoveling, parking like a jerk, blatantly using your cell phone while driving, leaving sprinklers so they spray water on sidewalks and such offenses. Watch out!
2 comments:
I read your post as I was sipping hot coffee and looking out onto my snow/ice covered sidewalk with some fresh pillowey snow falling upon it. Now that I am feeling sufficiently guilty for slacking on my snow duties, I must thank you for reminding of my legal and moral obligation to freeze my butt off to clear my walks for my neighbors. It is so hard to be right and so easy to be wrong!
Yay renting! And yay for cool signs from the City! I wonder if they have signs that say "Boo for NOT shoveling"
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