Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (Full Version)

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smileforme50 -> Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:08:27 AM)

I dont know how many of you out there rely on public transit or walk for even at least part of your transportation needs, but where I live the pedestrian gets NO respect. We had a healthy dumping of snow on Tuesday into late Tuesday night. Then the schools and government offices were closed yesterday....I stayed home from work. But as usual.....this morning when I went to make my way to the bus stop, I see that all the roads are nice and clean and thoroughly salted. That's great.....except where did they put all that snow they cleared from the street?

On the sidewalk.

'Nuff said...



ShaharThorne -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:18:26 AM)

Good rant! Austin seldom gets the snow but back in '97, we did have a terrible ice storm where people used taxis instead of their cars to go places...in 2 days, Bo made over $400, which we used to get a new apartment near a grocery store so I can use a small shopping cart when I went for our weekly groceries.

Now hire a teenager to shovel the sidewalks!



ChatteParfaitt -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:18:59 AM)

Unfortunately this is all too typical. Himself prefers to walk to work -- since he has a desk job it's good exercise, but in the winter they clear the bridge he has to cross and all the snow ends up on the sidewalk.

Years ago I lived in White Chapel NC and they appeared started at the sight of pedestrians. I kid you not.

Here there are enough students the sight of a pedestrian is not new. Freshman are actually not allowed to have a car here. And the university supports the public transportation, which isn't great but significantly better than nothing.



MalcolmNathaniel -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:29:09 AM)

What is the solution?

I don't have one.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:47:14 AM)

FR~

I won't walk anywhere. Period.
The best I tolerate is from my front door to where the car is parked about 15 feet away.
Sometimes I park on the front garden so I don't have to walk as far.
'Walk' is a 4-letter swear word in this house!! [:D]
I absolutely refuse to walk or use public transport.
If I can't get there by car, I don't go.

Needless to say, I have no concern for pedestrians at all.
The roads get cleared and cleaned, the sidewalks/pavements don't.
Solution?? Stay off the sidewalks.
Don't walk - get a push bike if you want exercise.
You could do what one of our locals has done - he rides a unicycle!




Rule -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:49:25 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: MalcolmNathaniel
What is the solution?

Simple: A sign on every sidewalk: Do not deposit snow on this sidewalk.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 5:53:02 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule

quote:

ORIGINAL: MalcolmNathaniel
What is the solution?

Simple: A sign on every sidewalk: Do not deposit snow on this sidewalk.


You think they'll bother to read that sign??
It's probably got snow on it anyway! [:D]



smileforme50 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 6:39:55 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1

FR~

I won't walk anywhere. Period.
The best I tolerate is from my front door to where the car is parked about 15 feet away.
Sometimes I park on the front garden so I don't have to walk as far.
'Walk' is a 4-letter swear word in this house!! [:D]
I absolutely refuse to walk or use public transport.
If I can't get there by car, I don't go.

Needless to say, I have no concern for pedestrians at all.
The roads get cleared and cleaned, the sidewalks/pavements don't.
Solution?? Stay off the sidewalks.
Don't walk - get a push bike if you want exercise.
You could do what one of our locals has done - he rides a unicycle!



What would you do if you could no longer drive due to a medical condition?



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 6:43:57 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: smileforme50
What would you do if you could no longer drive due to a medical condition?

Get someone else to drive.
If my medical condition gets sooo bad that I can't drive, then I'll be bedridden!
Nope. If I can't drive, I'll get the stuff delivered.
I flatly refuse to walk or use public transport.



DarkSteven -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 7:01:11 AM)

You live on the East Coast, so walking is even feasible. Out here in the West, cities and towns were set up assuming that everyone has a car. Yes, we do have some mass transit but it's pretty awful, unless you and your destination are along I-25.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 7:04:10 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven
You live on the East Coast... <snip>

I don't live in the US, let alone the east coast - I'm over the pond! [:D]



TieMeInKnottss -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 8:46:47 AM)

I am surprised since you live in DE. Are they not used to significant snow? I am in MD so similar climate. The plows push the snow off the road but they do not "dump" onto the sidewalk. Now, when we had the 5ft back a few years ago...many snowdrifts "toppled" over. Here, sidewalks must be cleared by the property owner within (I think) 48 hrs of the snowfall ending so...trust me...if the plow dumped the snow onto the sidewalk SOMEBODY would scream. Call Public Works...sounds like maybe a new driver or somebody doing the wrong thing....



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 9:02:58 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: TieMeInKnottss
I am surprised since you live in DE <snip>

Ummm... I live in the UK and we have had snowdrifts up to 4ft and more in places.
And when the plows go down the road, they dump it on the pavement (sidewalk to you).
Very rarely is there enough of a verge (if any) to take the excess snow and it invariably forms long piles on the pavement.

We have more than adequate public transport in most places so people don't walk on snow.
It's only small villages and side-roads that don't get a snowplow.
If it's a bus route or a main road, it usually gets plowed and well gritted.




MasterCaneman -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 9:37:18 AM)

I live near Buffalo, NY, which means I've seen my share of snow, and the general law of the land here is that property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. I also do my fair share of walking because I simply don't drink and drive and frankly need the exercise.

Compounding this, I have a broken back and spinal cord injury which means I walk with cane (hence my handle). It's a risky proposition to take to the streets then, because most of the drivers here seem transfixed by their cellphones, so more than once I had to take a dive to avoid getting squished. Some municipalities around here went and got small-width plows just for sidewalks, but most simply ticket property owners for the revenue.

What sucks is, the new town supervisor crunched some numbers to see how much it would cost to have a couple pieces of equipment and workers to plow the paved sidewalks, and the assessment worked out to about 82 cents per year on their taxes. Less than a dollar, yet the cheapskates around here voted it down, apparently preferring to pay fifty bucks for the first two citations, and a hundred-fifty for the third and following. Go figure.



Darkfeather -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 10:21:17 AM)

This. Also, property owners here in NJ are responsible if an injury occurs on your stretch of sidewalk. So not only do you have to keep it clear, but ice free or risk a hefty lawsuit



TieMeInKnottss -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 10:31:28 AM)

Maybe we have wider roads? The plows only do the middle of the road. Where parking is legal on the street, the snow emergency plan goes into effect so that people cannot park on the street...the snow gets pushed..at most..into the area usually where parked cars would be. Again....plow goes straight...snow gets pushed forward...good plow driver pushes the pile to the curb as he goes along,and does not wait until he has a mountain of snow.

Heck. I live in a cul de sac and the plow drivers make sure that snow is piled in BETWEEN driveways so that you don't get blocked in. Just saying...blame the person who owns the property for not shoveling or complain to the public works dept because it is NOT typical.



LafayetteLady -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 10:46:16 AM)

Not only would NJ propery owners face a lawsuit, most municipalities require homeowners to clear their walkways within 24 hourss of the snow stopping. Of course the town I live in has few sidewalks so nothing for homeowners to shovel.



kalikshama -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 10:50:30 AM)

smileforme50 - check into the laws in your municipality and complain accordingly.



joanneeve -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 10:54:16 AM)

In DE you have to clean the snow of the stairs and pavement twice a day during snow fall. Most main streets and side walks are done by the local government where I live, but not all streets and side walks.

It is a crime not to clear your area of pavement and such here.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Don't mean to whine..... But I need to vent....., (1/23/2014 11:55:22 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady
Not only would NJ propery owners face a lawsuit, most municipalities require homeowners to clear their walkways within 24 hourss of the snow stopping. Of course the town I live in has few sidewalks so nothing for homeowners to shovel.

quote:

ORIGINAL: joanneeve
It is a crime not to clear your area of pavement and such here.

Interesting!
Over here, unless you actually OWN the land that the sidewalk is on (in which case, you are also responsible for building it and maintaining it), just about all of the sidewalks are owned and maintained by the local council.
If someone trips on a loose paving slab or falls on a slippery surface, it is usually the local council you have to sue, not the homeowner.
Just about all the properties here, your piece of property usually ends at the edge of the wall/fence/lawn before the public walking pavement area. Very rarely does your land extend to that pavement or beyond and generally the homeowner is not responsible for maintaining that area.

I guess that all stems from the very individualistic outlook on everything in the US as opposed to a lot of things being either publicly owned or maintained like it is here.




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