From the vault: December 26, 2013 (revised):
This essay is actually a revision of a revision. The original version appeared 20 years ago when I was writing for TONIT (that other newspaper in town). The message remains the same, however, because it involves public safety. Besides, I am currently suffering from post-Trump traumatic syndrome (PTTS) and have nothing original to say at this time. Pity the poor pundit, dear reader.
The snows of Winter are finally upon us. They were late in arriving due to climate change. In late December, I predicted that we would pay a price for the clement weather that month. And so we did.
Once upon a time in America many ages ago, when I was just a lad, folks used to shovel their sidewalks and driveways at the first sign of more than one snowflake in the air. Shoveling was a mark of neighborliness and civic responsibility. Yours truly was drafted, season after season, to tend to this task, no shoveling, no weekly allowance! Not to brag or anything, but the Coddington residence had the cleanest walks in the neighborhood, if not the whole town.
Tempus fugit.
As I walk around town these days, I observe very little by way of neighborliness and civic responsibility, especially at properties controlled by absentee landlords. Few care if their sidewalks are shoveled, but they are meticulous when it comes to their driveways (the better to get their precious automobiles out and running, don’t you know?). Pity the poor pedestrians; they are on their own.
I’m sure you have heard the refrain: “God put the snow there. God can pick it up.” One supposes that “God” will “pick it up” eventually, i.e. the snow will melt. But what happens in the meantime? Here’s a hot news flash for you, dear reader. If a pedestrian slips on your icy/snowy sidewalk and injures him/herself, it won’t be “God” who gets slapped with a lawsuit for personal injury, and it won’t be “God” who will have to pay the medical bills of the injured party. Guess who will. Right the first time.
What I find disturbing are the merchants who do a masterful job of clearing their parking lots so that motorists have a clear access to their stores but push the snow onto the sidewalks surrounding their properties and force pedestrians to navigate in the streets and risk being struck by a vehicle. (And what does that say about the people who do the actual plowing?)
And what I find particularly disturbing are the houses of worship who follow the same pattern. Motorists can come and pray, but pedestrians don’t have a prayer. Whatever happened to the concepts of brotherly love and charity?
Pedestrians have rights too, foremost of which is the right of safe passage along our public thoroughfares. At this season, that right is routinely trampled on, and the pedestrian becomes a victim of discrimination. I would call upon those citizens who have had, or are having, difficulty traversing snow-covered sidewalks to protest and demand accountability. If property owners do not respond to the problem voluntarily and perform their civic duty, then perhaps the City Council could be persuaded to present them with the same sort of notice people with junk in their yards receive.
You may be asking The Chas right now, dear reader, what about persons who are elderly or who have disabilities and cannot shovel their walks. The Chas replies, hire a young person to do the shoveling. There must be any number of them who would be happy to earn some spending money legitimately. Problem solved.
Just a thought.