Snow Shoveling Editorial

Editorial: Shovel anyway
Friday, September 24, 2004
The Watertown Tab
Last week, the Town Council voted down an ordinance that would have required homeowners to remove snow from the walkways in front of their homes within 12 hours of snowfall. Amid fears that the measure would raise homeowners' insurance premiums and prove an unfair burden to some who are too old or frail to do the job themselves, all but one councilor decided the ordinance would be too burdensome and shot it down.
The ordinance, if passed, may have turned out to have been impractical and unenforceable. But the idea behind it – that everyone has a responsibility to the public good – is important to keep in mind this winter, law or no law.
You may not be legally obligated to shovel in front of your property, but your right to leave the snow where it is impedes on pedestrians' rights to walk safely down the street out of the way of traffic. It's unrealistic that the town remove snow from all the sidewalks; after a heavy storm, they work through the night just clearing the roads, and probably wouldn't get to the sidewalks within 12 hours anyway. And even if they could, it would only cost residents' more tax dollars or lost services somewhere else.
Councilors, while rejecting the measure, recognized that snow removal can be a problem, and offered some good suggestions for encouraging, if not requiring, sidewalk shoveling. For example, Councilor Susan Falkoff suggesting finding a way to involve teens as a community service project, and Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney added that the Council should send out notices to residents urging them to pick up their shovels this winter.
If you're able-bodied, please clear the snow from your sidewalks in a timely manner. Neighbors, postal workers and delivery people all will thank you. If you're not able-bodied, call friends, family or neighbors and ask them to help, or call your town councilor for assistance.
Winter is hard enough. A little public spirit can make it a lot easier for everyone.