After the first snowstorm, I noticed that many people still disregarded the regulations for what needs to happen during and after snowstorms.
Hartford has a Level 2 Parking Ban from 2pm on Friday until noon yesterday. This meant that all vehicles needed to be parked somewhere besides on the streets. Motorists are allowed to move their vehicles to school lots and those belonging to the Board of Education. While out, I noticed that as usual, many people decided to leave their cars on the street anyway. While the City has the right to ticket and tow, I don’t know how much they bother to do that. It’s a hassle to all, but it’s better than not having the vehicles moved. After large storms, people have to dig their cars out, and they leave chunks of hardened snow on the roadways. This often remains there because the plows already went through a few times. See, the idea is that with no cars there, the roads can effectively be cleared. Instead, what we get is dangerous hunks of ice to contend with while driving.
If there is a Level 1 Parking Ban, parking is prohibited only on “Signed Snow Routes.”
With the ability for news to be disseminated in so many ways today, there really is no excuse for not knowing this unless there’s a power outage. Parking bans are announced on tv, radio, and posted on news websites, as well as on the City of Hartford website.
The other matter for people to do with is sidewalks. The Department of Public Works has this information posted on their webpage:
It is the responsibility of the property owner to remove snow within 2 hours after it has fallen, or within 3 hours after sunrise if the snow fell in the night. It is illegal to put the snow into the street.
In the case of an ICE storm, the sidewalk must be sanded within 1 hour.
I have winter boots and can walk through un-shoveled snow, even if I’d rather not, but others who use the sidewalks, such as those in wheelchairs or with guidedogs, can not “go offroad” as easily. Leaving snow on the sidewalks becomes an accessibility issue.
With that said, props to Evergreen Street. While out walking, most streets had haphazard shoveling, or every few properties didn’t bother to clear. At least one side of Evergreen Street had its sidewalks completely cleared. Thumbs down to Lexington Street in West Hartford, where only a few properties cleared the sidewalks and I had to walk in the street.
Max
You had much more luck than us over here on South Whitney. Our landlord didn’t touch the sidewalks, nor did the senior center. We didn’t even see a plow in our driveway until 3 p.m. yesterday.
kerri
Howdy neighbor!
I don’t live on Evergreen, but enjoyed that they seemed to have it together. I’m on W. Boulevard, where it was also hit or miss. Luckily, my landlord did a decent job with the shoveling/plowing/snowblowing, but there were sections further down where I’m wondering if people were even around– no footprints even!
I actually avoided South Whitney once the snow got deep because it’s too narrow/zigzaggy dangerous to walk in the street when many people starting using the roads again.
Richard
Thanks for posting the regulations from Dept. of Public Works. Last year we had a real hard time getting the sidewalks cleaned and the bus stops cleared. We were instructed to call the police.
It is the property owners who must clean out both and do the curb cuts. (City and corporations too) Everyone has the right to go out without any snow blocking their way, or having to jump up on snowbanks and then down to the bus, not being able to get ones chair up to the sidewalk, stumble and trudge through snow on walks, or slip and slide because of ice. Or the big crime of having to wait in the street in a wheel chair and then board the bus from there.
Some of the worse offenders are downtown, the Old State House, CVS, the Gold Building, Center Church, The Wadsworth. We plan to fight hard this year so ask others to join in where-ever you live. There is an ordinance in this town. Demand that the city enforce it.
kerri
I was on the bus yesterday, and someone with a stroller had to get off further down than the bus stop because there was no safe opening in the snowbank.
sujal
I’m all for clearing snow in a timely manner, but 2 hours seems like an awfully small window. West Hartford has a 12 hour window for clearing snow which would allow for people to come home from work or otherwise have a life outside of waiting at home for the snow to finish falling…
Now, if I could only get my neighbor’s plow company from piling their driveway snow on my curb, I’d be a very happy person.
Sujal
kerri
Think about Hartford’s demographics though, Sujal. Two hours is fair because only 25% of residents are homeowners. The rest rent. That means the vast majority of things needing to be plowed/shoveled are the responsibility of landlords and management offices, who have the funds to pay for a crew to come out and take care of the snow. The others, well, you sign on to a bunch of troubles when you buy a house. Personally, I’m of the school of thought that neighborhood kids exist as standby snow removal services. Their prices are better, and money is kept local. And it instills work ethic.
Personally, I think that people need to slow way down and enjoy these kind of storms. Work happens as the norm. Why not enjoy something that is out of the ordinary once in awhile?
Richard
What a time I just had calling the police about the Save-a-lot property on Laurel and Park. The bus stop, the curb cut and the south east side walk is not done and hasn’t been done since the snow started on Friday. The dispatcher at the police department didn’t really want anything thing to do with it and told me that it wasn’t the police depts. job to tell property owners to clear their sidewalks. I insisted and she finally said okay but took down no information. I then called back 311 and when I asked whose job it was to tell the police what was a part of their job was told I had an attitude. The person who answered then transfered me to someone who told me to call the mayors office. The woman there took the information and I also asked her to inform the police that this is part of their job. I also placed a called to Shelly Jackson in Larry’s office at City Hall as he told us at one of the ADAPT meetings to let him know if we had any problems this year.
I am not going to let up. My good friend Claude can not get out to the bus stop, the older people from the senior building across the street can’t get up the sidewalk and I have a log on my shoulder rather than a chip about such matters.
Oh lord, what will downtown bring. These corporations that can pay their exec.’s millions but can’t clear their curbs. Last year we were told by the head of Public Works this, “the sidewalk is the buildings owner responsibility, the street up to the curb is the cities, and the snow bank on the curb is no-ones.” (my fingers are not crossed)
I am all for slowing down and enjoying the storms but some of us have to get on the bus, go to work, and walk on the sidewalks as a part of our everyday activity snow or no snow.
kerri
What I was referring to is this idea that people are too busy at work to stop during a snowstorm. I understand that some people have to work even in shitty weather, but as an adult there are certain responsibilities one must accept, such as having to clear snow off one’s property. When we get nailed with a storm on a weekend, when most people *aren’t* working, it makes no sense for snow and ice to remain on sidewalks as long as it did in some places.
Richard
Yes I agree Keri. I should have ended the last paragraph.. So get out there and clean off those walks, curbs and bus stops. Don’t get me wrong, I am not excusing anyone from their responsibilites you know me better than that.
Noticed today that some of the downtown buildings that got citations last year did a better job this year except for the Wadsworth, The Federal Building, the bus stop at the Old State House, the Baptist Church. Got a lot of calling to do in the am.
Gannon
I would love to see some sort of public works program… or perhaps, an organized, entrepenuerial youth-run business, that would handle cleaning the snow. I used to live on Huntington St, had a great landlord, small business owner, who lived in Rockville, and had a family – it wasn’t always feasible for him to come clean snow up so fast.
As for the police and ticketing/ towing cars – maybe that’s just a real difference between neighborhoods, because the Hartford police were super aggressive about both in Asylum Hill. I’m sure the police feel like information about snow bans gets disseminated appropriately, as you suggest… but for someone who doesn’t have cable, the internet/ a computer, and who’s out all day, comes home to a row of cars on the street and a few flakes of snow, you might reasonably expect there is no snow ban. You’d be mistaken, getting a $100 ticket, which has happened in Hartford since the parking authority is just a disaster.
kerri
The parking is a matter of common sense. If there’s a major storm that closes most things down, someone should assume there is a parking ban. I’m finding that cars parked on these “signed snow routes” aren’t ticketed or towed, and people who normally park on these streets should be paying more attention.
Also, if someone has a car, chances are pretty good that they have a radio in it. That’s kind of my point. We don’t need internet to find out this info. There’s also word of mouth. Some buildings will post signs about parking bans. If someone is a recent transplant from the deep South or some other place where they never get snow, I guess I’d understand, but for people who have been in New England for their whole lives, or at least for a few seasons, there’s no real mystery about how this stuff works.
I really don’t buy this whole “what if someone is too busy…” thing. Yes, people are busy, but we have complex lives that require that we pay attention to all fronts and not have tunnel vision.
P.S. I also think drivers who don’t clear their cars should be pulled over and fined. This is all a matter of safety.
Richard
That too busy bunk could land the property owner in court. I would sue their pants off and then some if I fell on their sidewalk.
I love the corner of Pearl and Main. A large snow pile is right where the cross walk comes in on the corner. What idiots to leave it there. Claude and I should really do a movie sometime.
I really have to go and take a look at the snow removal ordinance and see for sure what is required. As some clean all the snow and some only will do a shovel width. (hardly can fit a stroller or a chair through there, and the bus ramp could never go down in that tight space)
Will call again on everyone mentioned except the Old State House as they cleaned away all the snow banks from the bus stops. I wonder where are the police or the Department of Public Works why aren’t they out doing their job?
This is 2 days after the storm. No one should be climbing over snowbanks or slipping on sidewalks. Next we are going to have some good icey flooding when it rains later in the week as the snow is blocking the drains.