Blocked sidewalk near Beacon Street
Sometimes I think that I am wasting my time in complaining about this problem, but no matter: here I go again. A city ordinance clearly states that homeowners bear the responsibility of clearing the sidewalk by their houses within twenty-four hours of the cessation of the storm. Sadly, many residents honor this ordinance only in the breach.
The photograph above reveals a typical pattern. A resident near me, owner of a large house and hardly a retiree with limited finances, hired a plowing service to clear his driveway. In the process, the plow created a pile of snow at points as high as six feet on the borders of the driveway, blocking the sidewalk from the adjoining property. Though this resident’s neighbor’s sidewalk had been cleared, in conformity with the ordinance, to the edge of the property, a pedestrian could proceed no further without entering the street. No conventional snowblower could carve a path through a pile that high. And I wouldn’t wish the task of clearing that mass of snow on anyone wielding a shovel, no matter how young and strong.
It just so happens that I was walking by when the plowing service was almost done. The contractor driving the pick-up was conferring with his partner, who was shoveling next to the garage door when I approached and said, “Don’t forget to clear the sidewalk so that people can get through to the other side.” The two looked at me as if I were a Martian. Needless to say, the stretch of sidewalk on the same property from the other side of the driveway to a major thoroughfare hadn’t been cleared either.
This property straddles a side road and Beacon Street. A child walking to nearby Zervas Elementary School would have two choices here: to abandon the sidewalk and walk in the street for twenty yards to the corner; or to cross the side road at a dangerous place. Automobiles often make that turn from Beacon Street heedless of pedestrians, be they seniors with dogs or children en route to school.
Friends, those who hire a plowing service can afford to pay a bit extra to fulfill their civic obligation to keep their sidewalks clear of snow. Though I may be a latter-day Don Quixote, I still bear the hope that Newton residents become more considerate of the safety of their neighbors.
Bob – I’m with you. I have to pay a snow clearing service because I’m physically unable to do it myself. When we agreed on a price, I made it clear that their job includes doing the sidewalk. Unfortunately, that’s not as helpful as it could be because of one of my neighbors, but I can’t do anything about that.
This is an example of a failure our local government. The Council is very eager to pass rules, but they are not eager to insist on enforcement. Examples include removing snow on sidewalks, leaf blower restrictions, and rules about accessory apartments. The rule of law becomes a joke.
In the midst of a pandemic, this is more critical now than ever. For many of us, but especially seniors, a walk around the block is the best access to exercise we have. The gyms just closed, and were potentially dangerous for seniors and people with pre-existing conditions already.
A snow-blocked sidewalk, especially for those with mobility issues, could be the difference between access to any exercise at all, to any fresh air at all, and being stuck inside their homes. This year, of all years, we must ensure that the snow is cleared, by any means possible. I hope the City Council addresses this issue with urgency.
I write this at 7:54 PM on Thursday evening with very light snow still falling intermittently in my yard.
I’m not sure who is the arbiter of when the 24 hour clock starts, but I think we all have at least until sunset tomorrow, no?
The 24-hour period had not expired when I posted this piece, but nothing will have changed when it has. I wasn’t faulting the city for lack of enforcement but lamenting the lack of sensitivity on the part of the homeowner.
The City says “The City’s goal is to have the city maintained sidewalk routes cleared within 30 hours after the storm has ceased.” That’s the standard for their 54 miles worth of sidewalks (out of 531 total sidewalk miles.) Interesting that they get more time for these high priority routes than private owners get, especially since they have power equipment!
Maybe my memory is flawed, but I seem to recall more sidewalk clearing by the city in years past. If the kind of access Bob and Bryan talk about is important–and it is–why isn’t it a City responsibility to clear city property rather than a private responsibility that runs the risk of not happening?
(BTW, I enjoy shoveling and try to get it done well before the 24 hours so my neighbors can get by, and also to avoid shoveling once the snow-plowed piles in my driveway and sidewalk have turned to ice.)
Bob, the remedy for this, unfortunately, is to file a report tomorrow with the city using 311. There will be no enforcement unless it is reported. Perhaps then the contractor will get the message.
Part of the problem is that it’s every person for themselves to try to get someone to clear the sidewalk if you’re not capable yourself. An easy to use city system that allows people to basically say “I can’t clear it this time, please clear it for me and bill me” would go a long way towards ensuring sidewalks are consistently clear.
Don’t forget the hydrants too!! I can’t believe how selfish it has become. On my walks,I see neighbors snowblowing almost up to the hydrants then they turn away, the private contractors are worse. I just shake my head, time to go to florida.
I remember trying to navigate those plowed piles of icy snow with my young children while walking the older one to school. It was awful.
What about an “opt-out” system? Have the city plow all sidewalks and bill property owners. If you don’t want the service, you opt out for the year, the plow lifts its blade while passing your house, and you pay a fine if you don’t clear the snow yourself. That was the system where I grew up.
I grew up in a much more modest environs in the Snowbelt hinterlands, where “neighborhood” kids used to clean the sidewalks for seniors. I would hope that Newton parents would encourage their kids to help with cleaning up sidewalks etc. after a snowstorm. It is an excellent first step in helping our kids understand the “social contract” that brings goodness to our society.
Bob it drives me nuts too. In my neighborhood it is more often than not the multimillion dollar homes that don’t clear their walks. Or homes with cute signs about the environment….. sigh.
I saw so many people walking in traffic today because of covered sidewalks – including me.
Now, as I reflect on the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result), I’ll send a 311 on a developer owned property on the corner of Grant Ave and Beacon that didn’t shovel their walk.
Keep in mind that the city ordinance allows for property owners to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the storm( however that is defined). It has been less probably than 24 hours so technically no one is in violation.
These ordinances end up pitting neighbor against neighbor. It should be the city’responsibilty to polow sidewalks. Of course we could all opt for gravel sidewalks and be exempt from the ordinance.
@Snowlover-
I couldn’t agree more. Growing up here in Newton I had elderly neighbors living in the houses on both sides of our house. My parents insisted I shovel both their walkways before I went off to shovel houses for money. It rarely made me happy, and I didn’t understand the lesson they were teaching me until I got much older, but I am forever grateful to them for making me do so.
You summed it up it beautifully by relating it to the principle of the Social Contract.
Just to be clear, this post isn’t about everyone helping out or following the ordinance (which they should). This is about a contractor depositing snow over a sidewalk which was not yet cleared. I think the responsibility falls on the homeowner who hired the contractor here, but it would be good to get clarification on how the snow ordinance works. Contractors who operate in this city need to follow the rules, too. Are contractors only breaking the rules if they push snow onto a sidewalk which was already cleared? Or does this work by fining the homeowner who then would take out their frustrations on the contractor they hired?
Excellent questions deserving answers. I will ask my ward councilors for information.
I talked to the Mayor this morning because it was impossible to walk a dog in the checkerboard of shoveled sidewalks – and the street was full of salt which hurt her paws. Apparently, the Mayor gave everyone more time – I think she said people have until Saturday night to shovel.
Susan – So does this mean any 311s reporting snow blocking a sidewalk will be tossed out – as it was last year? I don’t see anything in the ordinance that says the mayor can alter or disregard this or any other ordinance at will.
Sec. 26-8. Removal of snow and ice from sidewalks in certain districts.
Every owner or occupant of a building or lot of land abutting upon a sidewalk which is within a business, mixed
use or manufacturing district, as defined by chapter 30, and every owner or occupant of a building or lot of land
situated in any other district and which is used for a commercial or institutional purpose or contains more than four
residential dwelling units, whether or not such uses are nonconforming uses under the provisions of such chapter,
which building or lot of land abuts upon a sidewalk, shall cause any snow to be removed from the sidewalk and any
ice on the sidewalk to be removed, sanded or salted within twelve (12) hours after such snow has ceased to fall or
such ice has come to be formed. The preceding provision shall apply to snow and ice on accessible curb ramps in
the sidewalk, and shall apply to snow and ice which falls from buildings, other structures, trees or bushes as well as
to that which falls from clouds. (Rev. Ords. 1973, § 19-8; Ord. No. T-127, 3-4-91; Ord. No. T-165, 8-12-91; Ord.
No. U-3, 2-22-94; Ord. No. A-98, 12-19-16)
State law references—Removal of snow from sidewalks, G.L. c. 85, § 5; G.L. c. 40, § 21(2), (3), (4)
Would we accept the same rules if they were in place for roads? Would it be OK for roads to be cleared “within 24 hours” or by the residents themselves? I don’t understand why we treat our pedestrian infrastructure as an afterthought.
When I see Bob’s picture above I see a homeowner/ plowing service following the lead of the city in that the driveway is far more important than the sidewalk. The city must identify key pedestrian routes and have both the personnel and the equipment to clear those quickly.
Even worse are the walking and biking paths like those along the river. Within a few hours of a snowstorm, those are turned to pure ice by people walking on them, and they remain that way unitl the thaw. This is a particular problem during the pandemic in which people are trying to be outside of their homes, but are left with no place to walk.
Susan Albright-how can the Mayor disregard this ordinance? And why? This was not an apocalyptic event and, in fact, it will be easier to clear snow now before it warms up and then freezes again. Either there is an ordinance to be enforced or there isn’t. Once again, our Mayor is out of touch with the needs of the entire city. People not only walk for pleasure, exercise, their dog’s needs, but also to get to work, do their shopping, get to transportation. The roads in my neighborhood, as of 4pm today are still not great and very narrow. So, not only it is hard to navigate the uncleared walkways but there is not enough room for the cars driving, cars parked and pedestrians. The City does not do a great job on City sidewalks and a pretty terrible job on approaches to crosswalks but they can enforce their own ordinances. And how are us plain old residents supposed to know about the extension-if there is an extension? You are the leader of the City Council-lead! By the way, I was grateful for the salt because late yesterday the roads were so icy it was nearly impossible to walk down my street. I am sorry for your dog-is there a way to cover their paws?
A somewhat related question: I seem to remember that, a few years ago, the City of Newton website had a map (in PDF) of all the streets where the city would plow the sidewalks. I don’t see it there anymore. Just wondering if I was imagining all this, or did this map exist — and did anyone retain a copy?
Essteess-yes are correct, there was a map in past years.
I think it was lost in the new website launch. I’ve got copies from a previous year if you need any particular route. The snow plan has very poor quality images of the sidewalk plow routes.
During the Covid emergency, the Mayor has emergency powers she doesn’t ordinarily have. As an example, I remind you that she canceled the plastic bag ordinance because supermarket workers felt uncomfortable dealing with reusable bags coming from homes. I hadn’t seen this emergency change but i was assured that it was made because folks who would have normally hired people to shovel their walk – may not have the funds this year to do so right now. Certainly sounds reasonable to me. I was dragged through a snowbank by my dog this morning who seem to be thinking that this was kind of fun! Not so much! Let us hope that the sidewalk snow doesn’t become so frozen that is impossible to shovel.
This may have been the largest snowstorm in two years, but fortunately, it was also quite easy to shovel. Fluffy with just the thinnest coats of ice on the top. Susan Albright is correct that just shoveling the snow isn’t enough. The sidewalk and walkways also have to be treated, but this is the first rub. Assuming homeowners do treat their walkways and sidewalk, there is no uniformity in the time they shovel, or how thoroughly they treat it after the snow stops falling. On my street, everyone shovels their sidewalk, but the difference in how each one has been treated varies greatly. I can be walking past one house where the sidewalk is totally clean right down to the pavement only to hit the next house where the sidewalk is iced and slippery even though shoveled. Even if all the sidewalks are shoveled, I feel much safer walking on my street and adjacent side streets because there is at least consistency in the way the street has been treated.
An even greater problem involves the three or four times each winter when two or three inches of wet snow are followed by rain and then by an instant deep freeze as a massive cold front comes roaring through. This produces two or three inches of solid ice in the morning, and there’s no way all the sidewalks on my street are going to be cleaned out in 24 hours. Again, I just head out to the street if I absolutely have to go to the T. At 84, I’ll take my chances there rather than fall on a slippery surface.
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Snow Karens… what about reduced parking in Waban center itself, the city is really taking a covid break lately and it’s getting obvious.
I saw this “violation” myself today, actually looks like the snowbank came from the tracked vehicle the city uses to go up and down Beacon, so the city paid for another sub-standard job.
Can we end the little old lady eating cat food unable to clear their sidewalks or afford a plow service story? All the homes assessed at less than a million between Devon Road and Beacon St. along Grant have cleared their walks. The houses with uncleared sidewalks and perfectly cleared driveways assessment values $2,857,000; $2,325,000; and a developer owned property on the corner of Grant and Beacon at $1,300,000.
Traffic on Grant Ave is often 30 mph+, fast enough to kill a pedestrian, which is why it has a stop light and pedestrian light at the, currently uncleared sidewalk at Beacon. No-one should be walking on Grant Avenue.
PS last year I did find one neighborhood home with a senior resident unable to shovel. Both their sidewalk and driveway were uncleared. So I know some people can’t shovel or afford to shovel, but they are rare. Usually neighbors help out.
Feels like the city has checked out. In my neighborhood (off Mill St near Newton North), the side streets weren’t even salted or treated, and the contractor the city is using stopped plowing before the storm ended. Kind of sad that my driveway is in better shape than the street after 30 min with just a shovel.
Many of these side streets don’t even have sidewalks, so people and cars must share icy, half plowed streets. Accident waiting to happen.
Status on Saturday afternoon: Resident at northwest corner of Paul St. and Cypress St. dutifully plowed their sidewalk in a timely fashion. Then the city dumped a pile higher than five feet high on the sidewalk at that corner, so the sidewalk is now impassable. Also, drivers can no longer see around the corner when turning right onto Paul from Cypress. Pedestrians have to backtrack and cross the obstructed-vision Paul Street at mid-block to get to the other side to continue their walk to the T or to Newton Center shops.
Also, the walk in front of Pure Barre and Learning Express in Newton Center is not shoveled.
Also, the city sidewalk from those shops to the Beacon Street traffic signal is not shoveled.
Ahhh, city hired plows dumping snow on the corners! In our section of California street, there are a few of us who have snowblowers, bought locally from Farina’s, and we have gotten the sidewalks cleared from Nevada to Craft street. And then the city hired plows dump, plow or push the snow onto the corner. Making the handicap ramps unpassable, and mail personnel…well you get the idea. So, as neighbors, we clear as best we can, only to be undermined by the city. Suggestions? We all go out and clear a channel through, but it’s frustrating.
My street was not plowed well on one side. I have noticed that the corners have not been done well. At the end of our street the bank is way too high to see around. The access points on the sidewalks at the corners also seem to be poorly done.
Posted to Newton Web Site:12/17/2020 5:45 PM
The official end of the storm was 5:00 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 17 and the Snow Emergency currently in effect in the City of Newton will be lifted at 10:00 p.m. this evening.
Due to the heavy snowfall, the deadline for property owners to clear their sidewalks is extended an extra 24 hours. (Typically it is 24 hours.) The official “end” of the storm was 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, so sidewalks need to be cleared by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Thanks, Judah, and as we have learned, there’s plenty of sin to go around. As for city plows (are they contractors or city workers? I assume the former), in my corner of Waban the same phenomenon often happens: corners become impassible because those plows pile up snow there. As Paul Levy has pointed out, sometimes municipal spaces aren’t properly cleared either.
Let’s hope that next time we have a significant snowfall, both residents and city government fulfill their end of the bargain. The problem goes way beyond a limited number of people on fixed incomes or physically unable to clear the snow- read all the comments above!
Paul, Jack: if the city or contractors are piling snow on the corners, file reports with 311, and hopefully it will stop. Ditto for uncleared sidewalks in business districts. If that doesn’t work, then come back and complain loudly here.
My experience since the Warren administration (which was very responsive to 311) has been that these are mostly just ignored, particularly in the last couple of years. Now 48 hours after the storm and can’t even get a salt truck to make one pass in my area, much less a plow to finish the half-done job.
Felt really bad for the garbage truck drivers trying to do pick-ups today – their trucks were barely able to negotiate some of the streets near me.
@Newtonian Male, I share your skepticism on 311, but it’s different this year. Due to the collective wisdom of the city council, we have a new system in place where the snow enforcement finally has some teeth, but it requires a 311 report. First, there will be a warning, then fines. If there are no 311 reports, the snow ordinance will be meaningless. The rules took effect last year but alas there was no snow… so now’s the time to try it out, and if it doesn’t work we’ll have to demand something better.
One last thought. Several commenters have noted that this year’s plowing by the City has been less than stellar and that is certainly true on the street I live on in the Highlands. There’s still quite a bit of thick ice spread throughout the length of the roadway. This compromises my earlier note that it is often safer to walk on side streets than sidewalks, but not entirely.
For years our tiny Spring St was mostly ignored by the plows. Nearly every storm, after the entire city was plowed out, our street would be impassable for days while we begged and pleaded to get plowed.
This storm we couldn’t be happier. The street was plowed before the last flakes fell and that was followed by a salt truck. Even with more than a foot of snow falling we were never immobilized as we have been so many times in the past.
Haha Jerry, I feel your pain. Glad to hear your street got some attention this time.
I don’t know if the city is using a bunch of different contractors or something, it seems really inconsistent. The city needs to make sure these contractors are doing their jobs. Every taxpayer should get adequate city services.
Still can’t seem to find any way to get my street salted or properly plowed (they plowed once during the storm but stopped before it was over). Since making a 311 complaint, it even looks like a salt truck came and did the surrounding streets and skipped mine.
I’d love to hear ideas from the Ward 1 & 2 candidates running in the special election on how they would deal with the ordinance and sidewalk snow issues.
I routinely have the same problem…but not because of my neighbors. It’s the city who always blocks access to the sidewalk in front of my house (I live on a corner). So, while I have no problem asking my plow guys to do more work, WHY should I pay to have my front sidewalk cleared when it only leads to a massive dead-end? The city can’t have it both ways.
Belated thanks to Jess and Adam for following up on my question from a few days back re whether there was a map showing which streets have their sidewalks plowed by the city. There was, and Adam provided a link to a copy of it from last year. As he warned, very difficult to read.
All I know is, for the last few winters the city did in fact send a plow down our sidewalk after measurable snow falls. For this storm, they didn’t — I don’t know if it’s because (A) the crews were simply overwhelmed by the amount of snow and fell too far behind schedule; (B) a fair number of residents along our street actually shoveled out some or most of their respective stretches of the sidewalk so perhaps the city decided not to bother; or (C) our street simply isn’t on The List any more. If it’s (C), would be kind of nice to know.
The city may be overwhelmed, or pinching pennies. It took 4 days of complaining just to get a salt truck to make one quick pass on my street; we’ve never had this kind of issue in the past.
Something seems wrong to me if the city is going to put the pressure on residents to clear their sidewalks while the city can ignore its own responsibility like this.
(I realize the original topic was sidewalks, but side streets in my area don’t have them so the issue of street clearing does relate somewhat to the topic).
I just reported 991 Washington Street (torn down recently ) on 311 for not being shoveled. This was a 2 family, just knocked down (is now an empty lot) so presumably owned by a contractor. I thought they could look up the new owner and get them to shovel. But wait….
———————————————————————————————–
Thank you for your service request. The address you reported is maintained by the City. We have forwarded your request to the appropriate department for investigation and will keep you updated on the progress.
For additional information, click the “View Request” button to the right or contact Newton Customer Service.
Sincerely,
Newton Customer Service
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What am I supposed to do with this? Will the city fine itself for not clearing the sidewalk. I’m so tired of the councilor’s preachy stuff when the city doesn’t do its own job well.
Just to follow up, how is Newton going to be a “walkable, pedestrian friendly city” when they don’t maintain the sidewalks that they have signed up to maintain? I just reported this to 311. Does anyone think they’re gonna send 2 guys (or gals) over to shovel? No.
So, why should I shovel then? (I do, but I’m being rhetorical). If the city is not going to maintain the sidewalks that THEY THEMSELVES say they maintain, they should stop pretending they do, and reassign that address – 991 Washington Street – to the owner of the property and stop pretending they maintain it.
@Richard C Frank
Looks like that block is on a plowing route and the city missed it (that wasn’t clear to me from the customer service message) It might have been the first time the sidewalk plows ran in about a year. Nature may have beat them to it this time, but hopefully your feedback will help for the next storm.