Remember that in Canada, our hospitalization bills for such things as heart attacks caused by shovelling snow are paid for by our government insurance. I’d suggest that you buy US coverage before you attempt to clear saoirse’s snow, as our plans limit coverage in the US.
Just sayin’, is all. 
Ugh, I give up. I get that it’s a moot point for you, since you’re lucky enough that your city clears the sidewalks (although incidentally, you should still be putting salt or sand down if they’re not). The point is that you’re being a raging bitch about something that doesn’t even actually effect you. And making all the spurious and stupid arguments that all other inconsiderate non-shovelling assholes make. We can fight against the arguments even if the subject is theoretical on your end.
The ice is caused by people tramping the snow down into hard pack. It doesn’t generally form if you shovel regularly, and if it does you can salt or sand it. For some reason the idea of even doing that little seems to mortally offend you. Does scattering salt also cause heart attacks in your family?
I find this post extremely insensitive to those of us with a family history of peripatetic nacrum-licking compulsion.
Yeah, I think my response to that is more “I’m glad I know, I’ll make sure to never move to one of those cities”. I mean, as others have mentioned, there’s no way you’re going to be able to shovel 4 feet of solid ice chunks that he plows have shoved up onto the sidewalk. I’ve lived in about every section of Anchorage, and before I finally was lucky enough to move south, I’d never seen an area that didn’t have city snow removal for streets and sidewalks. Which of course meant that there were times that the sidewalks in your area may be left snowed over for a day or so before they got to them. Just before I left, I was lucky enough to live on the outskirts of a more well-to-do neighborhood, and I don’t remember a time when the sidewalks weren’t done either the day of the snowfall or the next.
Our condo association of course had snow removal for all walking areas that we paid for with our dues.
Actually, my life’s ambition and dream is to live someplace where most of the populace says “snow shovel? What’s that”?
You give up? Oh, good - then we can stop this silly arguing? Or…maybe not. A raging bitch? I didn’t think my reactions were that extreme, but I guess maybe you see it that way? I don’t know where you live, but around here, salt doesn’t work unless the temp is high enough . And often enough the temps are pretty damn low. Besides which, you are now taking the ‘shoveling snow’ one step up - shovel AND lay down salt or sand! Shoveling is not enough! Which is pretty much what I said, isn’t it? Even hard packed snow is not as slick as ice.
Futhermore I don’t think that I have used all the ‘spurious and stupid’ arguments that you cite. I only have one argument. I don’t want to die. Not that hard to understand, is it?
And since I have no pedestrian traffic to speak of, I can pretty much state that you are incorrect in stating that the ice is only caused by ‘people tramping the snow down into hard pack’. No, that’s just not true, there are no vast hordes of people tramping down my sidewalk into hard pack’. But there is still ice. Who makes it? God? I thought He loved us??? Go figure…Mother Nature is a bitch, isn’t she?
Furthermore…you’re going to have to go a little bit further than the whole shoveling snow issue to ‘mortally offend’ me. Sorry. Try harder.
Thank you. I forgot to mention that part… 
Look, I said I’ve lived where it goes to -40C every winter. I’ve also lived by the ocean where we have a constant freeze/thaw cycle. This is why I said salt or sand.
You have many arguments. You don’t want to die (:rolleyes:), you can’t afford someone else to do it, you don’t think it actually endangers people, you think in your youth things were different and people were tougher, none of your neighbours want to walk on your sidewalk or are physically disabled, you can’t be bothered, blah, blah, blah.
You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. You seem to be mortally offended by the idea that you should put down salt or sand. Sorry. Try harder next time.
ETA: Yeah, I know I said I gave up, but I’m bored here and it’s hard to stop reading the Dope.
I am absolutely not physically capable of shoveling, nor is my nearly 70 year old mother, so in advance of the winter season this year, I put up a sign (with the convenient rippy-tags) in the local grocery and an ad on Craigslist, advising that we’d pay well, in hard cash money, for someone who would come out after any snowfall, to shovel our sidewalk. Not our household walkway, not our driveway, just the sidewalk. It’s about 30 feet, if that.
I got one phone call. The guy asked what street I lived on. When I told him, he said “nah, that’s too far and I don’t like hills” and hung up.
Neighborhood kids? Apparently we have none in winter. I see kids in the summer passing my house every damn day to go to the park at the end of the block. You’d think that one of those robust youngsters who play basketball for hours and pony league every single night might want to earn some scratch, but nope. I’m home all day, every day and the doorbell only rings if it’s UPS.
I was able to get a cousin to do it once when we got about 2 inches of fluffy snow (and the little pig wanted $50 for 15 minutes work), and the husband of a former co-worker did it once. But the last two snowfalls, which occurred over a span of five days with like 36 hours between them, a couple of weeks ago? The remnants remain on my sidewalk right now.
If I could hire someone to fix that I would, but I have no idea who to call or ask, at this point. The guy who does my yardwork can’t lift snow. There’s a landscaping company that sent a flier about plowing driveways, but when I called and asked about shoveling or snowblowing sidewalks and walkways, they said nope. My neighbors are either in the same boat (disabled and/or elderly) or just manage to do their own (not young, not in great shape) and can’t take on mine even for cash, or just aren’t bothering even though there’s no apparent reason why they (or their kids) couldn’t.
I’m at a loss. And I bet some of you co-signing this pitting for your neighbors have neighbors who are at a loss too. Maybe some of you should go and offer to do some shoveling, or send your kids around. Sounds like a lot of people, for one reason or another, need some help.
This was my thought exactly.
If it’s not MY sidewalk then fuck you back with a pogo stick, I ain’t gonna feel bad about not shovelling it. And if it is my sidewalk I can use it for whatever the fuck I want.
But yeah, given that I’m the neighbourly civic minded type I prolly would shovel it - but fucked if I’m gonna be obligated (bylaws aside )
Sorry, but in most municipalities it is considered public property but you are still responsible for it. This includes everything that is underneath it as well - if your plumbing contractor was incompetent and your sewer tie fails miserably underneath your sidewalk the public sewage company is going to shrug and say ‘better grab the yellow pages’. If it happens under the street they will be breaking out the jackhammers.
Even if it was your property it has been long established that property rights are not limitless. You rarely can build to the complete edge of your property, you can’t start building a skyscraper in your backyard just because you feel like it. You cant let your property decay until it becomes a hazard, and yes, you must shovel snow.
Don’t like that? Complain in the courts but be prepared for an uphill battle - these issues have been resolved ages ago.
Lower taxes AND socialized medicine. Fuck it. You are ALL gonna shovel my sidewalk. I’m writing my senators right now.
I have to agree that the main reason there is ice on sidewalks is because people who are lazy or otherwise unable to take care of business don’t remove the snow promptly. Compacting the snow is what creates the layer of ice you can’t get up.
If you shovel before people have to tramp it down, and apply a little ice melt (I’m not a fan of rock salt myself, and there are different type of ice melt which will work in various temperatures) to anything that sticks, there will be little ice. Which I agree is much more dangerous than snow to walk on - so shovel your damn sidewalk in a timely fashion, jerk.
As far as I can tell (not being from this province), Albertans like high insurance premiums and taking their cars to sketchy autobody shops. Maybe the Mob is involved in Alberta’s autobody industry.
I do feel for you and your situation, but it is one of the responsibilities of homeownership. Hey, have you tried any local churches? Especially Mormons - they’d fall over themselves to help you out.
That’s absolutely true. I was looking at our real property report to put in some shrubs in our new house, and I basically ended up saying, “Screw it. They’re going in the city allowance, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they don’t have to rip 'em up.” They’ve got allowances all over my damned yard.
Unfortunately a mans home is not in fact his castle, despite the saying. Property rights only go so far - you can’t do whatever you want with the sidewalk, but you do have to shovel it. As Mr.Miskatonic points out, there are actually lots of things you can and can’t do with your own property.
I suspect that a lot of people feel this way - ‘It’s not mine! I refuse to clear it’. Hence why many, many Northern cities must force their residents to shovel by setting relatively well-enforced bylaws regarding this issue.
In San Jose, California, property owners are responsible for the care of trees in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. This strip of grass is public property, the trees are owned by the city, yet maintainance of the trees is the responsibility of the homeowner. Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.
It’s caused all kinds of problems, as you might expect. Trees falling over that weren’t maintained – the homeowner didn’t know he was supposed to maintain the tree. Gets sued. Or some city worker notices that a tree is dangerously close to falling, notifies homeowner that he has to fix the tree. Or the city does the work, then bills the owner. It’s a mess.
Actually, I am responsible for some other maintenance in addition to snow removal- I have to sweep litter and leaves from the sidewalk and 18 inches into the street and if the sidewalk needs replacement, I can either arrange for it to be replaced myself, or wait for the city to replace it and charge me for it.
Fuck you. Shovel the sidewalk in front of your house.
Which means what, exactly? That doesn’t make me or my mother any more physically able to shovel. That doesn’t make people answer my want ads. That doesn’t make contractors offer snow removal services. That doesn’t magically transport willing kids to my door with shovels at the ready. Am I meant to conjure someone out of thin air to ensure that this “responsibility” is met?
Or is the suggestion that people with disabilities shouldn’t own houses? Because that’s what it comes down to. If you’re too old or infirm to shovel a fucking sidewalk, pack it off to the rest home, you’re not fit to remain in society any more. Fuck that.
I’m a Jew. I’ll be fucked if I’m calling a Mormon to dig me out of anything. I have no desire to get shoveling with a side of Mormon evangelizing and an offer to baptize my dead relatives. (And no, my synagogue, such that I have one, can’t help either. Nor can my mother’s 30 member church, which can’t get someone to clear its walkways & sidewalk either.)
Have you tried calling the city? In some cities I’ve lived in they had fairly well publicized programs that provided snow clearing to seniors and the disabled. I have no idea how it works (how you prove you qualify, etc.), but it might be worth a shot.
I feel for you - it sounds like a shitty situation, and you have obviously tried to resolve it. But, as Cat Whisperer said, it is a responsibility of home ownership.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Haven’t you been listening? If Lily even so much as glances at a shovel she’ll fall down dead of a massive myocardial infarction.