As Greater Pittsburghers dig out from under our once-in-a-generation snowfall, some observations come to mind. As usual, the city has done a barely mediocre job of clearing the snow and restoring normalcy. Yes, I know it’s bad weather. Yes, I know it’s a difficult job. But with just a smidgen of common sense and planning, we all could get through the next one much more easily. The city’s failures are tiresome and have always been unnecessary. And the latest stunt takes the cake.
In the stupidest move of all, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced on Monday that the city won’t enforce the ordinance requiring property owners and tenants to clear the ice and snow from their sidewalks. This qualifies as outright gross negligence. Usually, the city only bothers with the ordinance when faced with public complaints, but now they’re actually telling our lazy, stupid, and selfish neighbors that it’s okay to endanger our safety and our lives. In his statement, Ravenstahl failed to explain exactly how he thinks this move will benefit anyone. So I will. It won’t.
You heard me. If you don’t clear your sidewalk, you are lazy. You are selfish. And you are stupid. And when someone is hurt on your property, you can still be sued. And I hope you will be. You still have a legal and a moral responsibility. If you can’t do it yourself, then call your local high school or church . There are plenty of teenagers willing to do it.
Many people don’t bother to clean their sidewalks after normal snows because they know that the city won’t enforce the law. So now, the mayor is giving these idiots another excuse to endanger all of us, while he is violating his oath of office.. Nice going, Luke. And by the way, enforcing the law – as you swore in your oath – would bring barrels of badly needed money to the city treasury.
For many years, city officials have perpetrated the myth that they clear every street after every snowfall. Everyone who lives, works, or visits in the city knows that plenty of streets have never seen a snowplow, and never will. The city’s clumsy routine paralyzed traffic on Friday night, and had a ripple effect throughout the county. We are long overdue for a new approach.
It’s all but impossible for snowplows to force their way uphill to clear the streets in our hilltop neighborhoods. So, don’t. When we have advance notice of a major storm, it would be simple to park a plow at a city fire station in each of those areas – Mt. Washington, Carrick, Beechview, Spring Hill, Troy Hill, etc. The drivers can wait in the comfort of the fire stations for their calls to duty. When the big moment arrives, they could plow the primary streets at the tops of the hills and make their way down hill to the lower areas. That way, the hills would already be cleared. Cars and buses won’t be stranded on the major streets while the snowplows are stuck in traffic below. We can avoid Friday’s nightmare entirely. The city can still maintain their policy of plowing the major roads first. They would just plow them downhill instead of uphill. And gee, the buses could move on those streets.
So, will Mayor Ravenstahl and Public Works Director Robert Kaczorowski alter their methods in light of their performance this week? I hope so, but I doubt it. I truly hope that everyone is safe and sound. But if you do fall and get hurt, sue the property owners and the city for negligence. It’s the only way to get their attention.
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From “Hidden History of the United States 2010 Calendar”, Progressive Magazine.
On February 9:
• 1950 – Sen. Joseph McCarthy accused State Department employees of Communist Party affiliation.
• 1968 – Three black student demonstrators were killed by police in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
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