Shovel your whole sidewalk; not just your doorstep.

[bahua]

It's an election year.

I was an election year last week too, and they did a rotten job then.

[drumatix]

Wow... did they actually get the sidewalks over 670, as well as the sidewalks of Pennway, Main, Grand, McGee, Oak, Holmes, Charlotte st., etc which go over the train tracks between 20th & 22nd or so? These are kind of crucial areas for pedestrians... there aren't any parking lots or privately owned (and possibly shoveled/plowed) areas to duck into. Just a road, a sidewalk, and a 30' drop.

[KC Sporting Life]

Wow... did they actually get the sidewalks over 670, as well as the sidewalks of Pennway, Main, Grand, McGee, Oak, Holmes, Charlotte st., etc which go over the train tracks between 20th & 22nd or so? These are kind of crucial areas for pedestrians... there aren't any parking lots or privately owned (and possibly shoveled/plowed) areas to duck into. Just a road, a sidewalk, and a 30' drop.

The sidewalk running along Main over the tracks between 20th & 22nd is exactly what I was referring to in an earlier post.  They were knee-deep in snow around midnight on Wednesday, not sure about right now. 

I also noticed that the streets were taken care of right away, seemed to be much quicker than I remember.  But the sidewalks in the Crossroads were still hit and miss, not sure if the areas cleared were done by business or property owners or otherwise. 

[KCPowercat]

I'm really not into fining everybody but I would love every land owner with a surface lit or otherwise abandonded property downtown fined

[drumatix]

I'm really not into fining everybody but I would love every land owner with a surface lit or otherwise abandonded property downtown fined

I'm starting to come around to that same viewpoint, even though I still get the feeling that the city would have to cop to their own massive hypocrisy to levy fines on citizens at this point in time. Walking around down here is a nightmare -- I'm tired of walking in the street.

[KCPowercat]

Why?  Streets seem fine which is the city responsibility.

[drumatix]

Streets seem fine which is the city responsibility.

As are the sidewalks over the pedestrian thoroughfares that I mentioned previously -- notably the freeway bridges & the bridges over the tracks between 20th and 22nd. These areas are critical for pedestrians & seem to go overlooked.

[bahua]

As has been said before, those are not the city's responsibility.

[trailerkid]

Do people think there is a demand for economical snow removal services in the city and Greater Downtown? Is that part of the problem.

My theory of lack of snow removal is tied to the "broken window" theory/fallacy. If there is no standard for snow removal in your neighborhood, there is no pressure to comply to the norms. Where my mother lives everyone is trying to outdo his/her neighbor in terms of snow removal. 

[DaveKCMO]

News from City Hall
City Communications Office
City of Kansas City, Mo.
www.kcmo.org
CONTACT: City Communications Office, 816-513-1349
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 21, 2011

City reminds residents to clear sidewalks

The City of Kansas City, Mo., is reminding residents, businesses and organizations of the need to clear sidewalks adjacent to their homes and offices. The City's Municipal Code requires persons owning or occupying property on streets, boulevards and highways to remove snow and ice from the sidewalks in front or alongside their property.

While the Code does provide provisions for fining residents, the City is requesting that the clearing of sidewalks be done as a neighborly act to help pedestrians who rely on walking as a means of transportation to get to school, work, and home.

City crews have been clearing sidewalks at City facilities and continue to clean up residential streets that may have been missed during the recent winter storms.

Residents who wish to report slick spots or missed streets should contact the City's 3-1-1 Action Center by either going online at www.KCMO.org/Action or dialing 311 or 816-513-1313.

Media inquiries about ice and snow removal should be directed to Dennis Gagnon, public information officer for the Public Works Department, 816-513-2659.

[aknowledgeableperson]

As has been said before, those are not the city's responsibility.

The freeway bridges yes, not city responsibility, but street bridges would be city responsibility.

[drumatix]

The freeway bridges yes, not city responsibility, but street bridges would be city responsibility.

And the sidewalks on the train bridges? I'd figure those would be city... they're not cleared at all, by the way.

EDIT: I still give the city a poor score for clearing the way for pedestrian traffic. Main street seems to be one of the worst areas that I've seen, since there is a long stretch of it that doesn't seem to be privately owned and is therefore uncleared. Both sides of Main from 20th, south over the bridge, and further south on up the steep hill to almost 30th or so, including some of the walks adjacent to Liberty Memorial, are 2' deep with snow. I guess it's a good time to be patient if you're driving & see pedestrians in the street.

[trailerkid]

I am thinking about coming to Downtown KC in the next couple days with a snowblower in tow. Dead serious.

[KCPowercat]

Good.

[bahua]

Why so serious lately, TK?

[aknowledgeableperson]

I am thinking about coming to Downtown KC in the next couple days with a snowblower in tow. Dead serious.

Where is the snow going to go?

[trailerkid]

Where is the snow going to go?

off the sidewalk.

[jchgh2]

Living in the burbs I definitely don't bother shoveling the sidewalk.  Hell, I don't even shovel the driveway unless I can't get out.  If I lived downtown or in midtown I might feel differently since there are actual pedestrians in those areas.  The burbs are more like a ghost town in that sense

[kigmee]

Living in the burbs I definitely don't bother shoveling the sidewalk.  Hell, I don't even shovel the driveway unless I can't get out.  If I lived downtown or in midtown I might feel differently since there are actual pedestrians in those areas.  The burbs are more like a ghost town in that sense

This is kind of a chicken and egg situation here.  I would continue running / jogging outdoors through the winter, except streets are slushy and cleared sidewalks are sporadic, so I hit the treadmill in the gym.  You don't see people using uncleared sidewalks unless they absolutely have to.

[jchgh2]

kigmee, you do have a point there, but, really, the sidewalks in many of the suburban neighborhoods aren't widely used anytime of the year.  I have to admit the occasional jogger really didn't factor in to my earlier thinking. During the nicer months we have quite a few kids running around the area...in winter they'd rather leave the snow so they can sled anywhere and everywhere.  In my parents' neighborhood it really is like a ghost town all year long.