They Tow Cars Don't They?

Posted by John B. Kelly

Cars that interfere with the demands of public safety, such as clear routes for emergency vehicles, get towed. No apologies. But property owners that never bother to shovel their curb cuts have only a ticket to fear, and probably not even that. The prospect of receiving a ticket, out of the 250 tickets written across probably a half million parcels of sidewalk and curb cuts, isn't much to worry about.

The complete failure of snow removal from the sidewalks and curb cuts of the city calls out for an additional measure of enforcement. Just as cars get towed when they become a threat to public safety, so should sidewalks and curb cuts be shoveled -- by the public entity responsible for public safety -- when they become a threat. And just as car owners get billed for the expense of having their car towed, so should property owners be billed for the cost of shoveling out their curb cut/sidewalk.

Of course, necessary disclaimer in effect: no elderly or disabled person would be ticketed or fined.