The kid in this photo was literally shoveling our street. How are the streets, sidewalks, trees and electric lines in your village?
How are the streets and sidewalks in your village?
by Greg Reibman | Mar 13, 2018 | Newton | 36 comments
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like
Anybody else get a robo call at around 7 p.m. from “Terry Crawley in the office of Mayor Setti Warren”?
I know snow storms can evoke a sense of nostalgia but I didn’t expect this.
I just got an alert “This is Terry Crowley, from the office of Mayor Seti Warren” announcing a snow emergency for “tomorrow, Tuesday March…”
I recieved that also. That said street look good!
We were stunned once again to see a plow go by our house a few hours ago – WHILE IT WAS STILL SNOWING. We’ve waited 10 years for that.
It will of course need to be hit again once the storm is over but we’re really beginning to think that this winter we’ve become full fledged citizens of Newton – we’re impressed and delighted!!
I’m a bit older than you. I just got a robo-call from the office of David Cohen 😉
Greg, I received the same call. Wonder how that happened?
I got a telegram from Ted Mann …
Glitch in the matrix .
At the moment our street has been plowed 1 plow width so our driveway, which is on the other side (unplowed) of the street is quite far from the street. I am hoping that will change by morning. Neighbors great about shoveling but the corners are piled so high with plowed snow it will not be possible to cross the street at a corner.
The kid next door had fun with his snowblower to our advantage 😉
Ted Mann is the virtual ombudsman for the city. The Force be with you, Ted!
A snow plow got stuck for 5 or 10 minutes outside my front door. Once he extricated himself, he backed the truck up the hill a bit, got up a head of steam, and blasted the rest of the street in once fell swoop. I’m loving this snow plow thing.
Be careful what you ask for, Jerry. As a resident on a main street, we have the opposite problem as you, namely too many plow passes. I know, I know — sounds like a good problem to have. Except that the end of our driveway gets crushed with each pass of front-end loaders and plows. Very heavy, packed down snow. Too much for my snow blower — and not much better for my old back!
Earlier today, two guys in a MWRA plow took pity on me and gave the end of the driveway a quick pass. And even though it was plowed under again not too long later, it was much appreciated!
@Dan Foley – My syppathies. That already plowed snow is like shoveling concrete
@Jerry Reilly – clearly your plow guys needed Drag Elsa
https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBHaynes/videos/10160271060140089/
@Meredith – too funny. If I had been thinking I would have slapped my Elsa costume on and gone help the plow guy.
Last evening, plows had cleared our street curb to curb, which was fantastic (if a burden for sidewalk clearing, but I’ll take that trade). This morning, a little less wide since it snowed quite a bit more, but local streets more than passable. I get right on the pike near my house so didn’t see much more than my ‘hood, but was pretty pleased with street clearing. It means on-street parking will be possible sooner than it might be otherwise
Getting out of my driveway (my neighbor’s driveway actually, as I do not have one and stow the car in my back yard during snow emergencies) was another story, but I managed.
Street cleared curb-to-curb yesterday. Hoping to see a sidewalk plow soon.
Streets are good, even mine. But sidewalks are pretty bad. I walked to Trader Joe’s this afternoon via West Newton Square and there were blocked curb cuts, even in intersections generally heavily traveled by foot. The curb cut in front of CVS was totally blocked. Then on Washington Street between West Newton Square there were so many businesses that didn’t clear their sidewalks. But their parking lots were clear! If they can get their parking lots cleared, having all that snow on the sidwalk really is inexcusable. I think the City should start fining businesses that don’t clear their sidewalks. I have mixed feelings about fining residents, but it’s time to fine businesses.
Did some walking in the Highlands/Newton Center area and there were definitely some dead ends on the sidewalks. There are a few house with front and side sidewalks that consistently only shovel a portion which is my pet peeve. One house in particular irks me as my friend is a neighbor and was told the owner’s didn’t find it “necessary” to shovel the whole thing since the school kids could just walk around. Also drove a bit. There was a fair amount of snow/slush/ice on the streets around 10am. Hopefully that will be cleaned up as if it freeze it could make things nasty.
2pm. Hoping the late sidewalk plow is an operational problem, not prioritization of streets over sidewalks.
@MMQC, the city *is* supposed to fine businesses (in business or mixed-use districts) which don’t clear sidewalks within 12 hours. It’s unclear if the NPD is issuing any citations. Feel free to report the businesses to the NPD and/or shame them here.
Our corner sidewalk landed up being a dumping ground for the plows and we could not shovel it. My neighbor decided to use his snowblower, and I was very concerned that it would not make it through the 8 foot wall of snow.
We shovel our sidewalks and have for 20 years, but it baffles me the same neighbors in our neighborhood let nature do it for them. It doesn’t matter if they are old or young, with school aged kids or not. Some people won’t do it until someone makes them.
I need to go back on Washington Street to confirm the businesses that didn’t clear their sidewalks – I don’t want to accidentally shame the wrong ones. 😉
Agreed, NewtonMom. And generally it’s the same culprits every storm who don’t clear their sidewalks. I had an elderly neighbor who did her own shoveling until she was in her 90s and she always did it with a smile – we could use a little more of that!
Mary Mary Quite Contrary
We have shovels and no snowblower, so I can only hope my husband and I can shovel until we are 90 years old. We are lucky that our teens help us shovel!
As for people who don’t clear the sidewalks because they aren’t on main streets (which is my neighborhood), I don’t understand it. . . . . people like to walk around and why force them into the streets (and share the road)? Getting a stroller out with a child is acceptable, but very difficult when people don’t shovel.
Yes! On our walk today, we were faced with either wading in snow or walking in the street. I couldn’t have done it if my child was in a stroller or if I was in a wheelchair, or even if I had a minor injury slowing me down.
If our City is serious about green initiatives and lowering our carbon footprint, we need to make sure that our sidewalks are usable.
Since I can’t clear snow, I have to pay someone to do it for me. When hiring someone, I always ask that their price include cleaning my sidewalk. I continue to have them do that even though my neighbor doesn’t, because it’s my duty to make my property safe for pedestrians.
Can someone explain to me how this becomes a police matter?
I am 100% in favor of people shoveling their sidewalks, both residential and commercial. Not because there is a city ordinance, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Correct me if I am wrong but I don’t believe the City can currently fine residents for not complying. The ordinance is in the trial phase so no fines can be levied. Not sure about commercial property owners.
But back to my original question…..is this really a police matter? Seems to me this is an issue best dealt with by the inspectional services staff members. I don’t really want to tie up police officers writing fines for snow shoveling issues. I’d much rather see them dealing with those fine people who don’t clear the snow/ice off their windshields and roofs of their cars and trucks. I’d much rather see the police stopping motorists that are texting while driving, or driving through the streets like speed demons…..you know, actual police work!
Police are responsible for public safety. Similar to pulling over a speeding car. The speeding car hasn’t hit anyone, but it is dangerous. A blocked sidewalk forcing pedestrians onto a busy road (like Grant Ave or Beacon St) is dangerous.
Whatever happened to the City plowing the sidewalks?! I remember they used to. Anyone else? How’d they get away with putting it on the residents?!
Pat – The city plows 80 miles or so of sidewalks. It would be great if the city could do all the sidewalks. I would be fine with that, but it would require more staff and thus more money. I don’t think many people in Newton would be up for more taxes.
Two days later, our street is clean curb to curb (after an outstanding plowing job), and… the residents on our street, who have nowhere else to park but made sure to clear the street during the storm, got “winter barn” parking tickets last night. The whole street. This ban has got to go.
Side note: where was the enforcement two bans ago when someone left a truck on our street, blocking the plows? I know those tickets aren’t as much as the winter ban’s filthy lucre; but still, this underlines what nonsense the winter ban is.
Doug, at the risk of asking an obviously asked and answered question – is there any precedent for requesting a “resident sticker required for overnight parking” zone, that would exempt residents from the ban except during snow emergencies? Any eventual lifting of the blanket winter parking ban will require the creation of many different zones of parking in different neighborhoods anyway. Otherwise the idea that we can easily add more housing density without adding tons of cars/traffic by building developments near village centers with less onsite parking becomes much less workable when legal street parking is available for second (and third or fourth) car storage.
I don’t agree that the creation of a complex layer of zones is necessary. Just implementing parking as is done in non-winter months, except for snow or other emergencies. Perhaps added desnity does add to that equation, but that’s not the topic for now.
On our street, however, we do have resident-only parking on weekdays/nights.
Last year there was a morning in early April where I went outside to move my car wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops because it was already in the 70s out at 6 AM. I never felt more hostile about the parking ban than I did at that very moment. At the very least, the City could have ended the ban a week early, but they didn’t.
What I’m asking is whether there is any precedent for creating zones where residents with stickers could park overnight NOW – an exemption from the ban.
@PAT
the city should clear the sidewalks. It doesn’t have to be the same day but the equipment is parked at the DPW lot the following day and many DPW workers are finding work to do since there are many jobs that cannot be done during the winter. So in theory, the cost of doing sidewalks will be a very minimal cost. If i have to pay $50 extra a year to pay for sidewalks that will be done by the city it will be very worth it since a big snowstorm would cost just that for me to pay someone to shovel it….nevermind a blizzard. On a separate note, my neighbor received a sidewalk violation notice for not doing her sidewalks. the reason is the city plows snow up over the sidewalk at the intersection of her residence. i understand that the street needs to be widened but to hand someone out a “violation notice” that clearly is for a snow mound from a snow plow from a city street seems a bit wrong. I dont see why the sidewalk plows arent out even today. Also, it took until this morning to do the elementary school zone sidewalks that my daughter goes to. Wasn’t that the purpose of no school for 2 days??? Who is inspecting these areas?
The plows piling snow is a big problem. It’s unreasonable to expect homeowners to be able to clear those very heavy, dense piles of snow that appear after we’ve already cleared the sidewalk (whether ourselves or by paying people to do it.)