(Middle Village, Feb. 12, 2010) Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted as warning NYC residents and business owners to “start shoveling or else.”
“It’s reasonably warm, so the shoveling should be easy,” the mayor said.
Home and business owners who don’t shovel face a $100 fine (it could go as high as $350). City workers were spotted handing out citations in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and other neighborhoods.
“The Mayor should get his own house in order before threatening home and business owners,” said Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association. Holden said that dozens of city owned property and pedestrian thoroughfares in Middle Village and are never shoveled. The Juniper Park Civic Association has been complaining for years about city owned sidewalks that are rarely shoveled. This includes pedestrian overpasses, bridges, and other city property.
“The mayor loves to preach but this is a good example of how out of touch he really is. I’m sure that public areas in Manhattan are cleared but the mayor should try getting into his SUV and drive through Queens and other boroughs. Most city owned sidewalks in our neighborhood are NEVER cleared of snow,” said Holden.
On Friday, the Juniper Park Civic Association documented over a dozen locations in the area that are sheets of ice and dangerous. As a result JPCA has designed a NYC Citizen’s Notice of Violation form for residents to symbolically issue violations to the City of New York and the mayor for failure to shovel sidewalks and other violations of NYC laws. Residents can visit www.junipercivic.com to download the summons form. They are asked to send the form to the mayor’s office in City Hall.
The Juniper Park Civic Association urges everyone to comply with the law, including the City of New York and the mayor.
Sidewalk Safety Information from the City of New York:
Whether you’re the owner, tenant, occupant or the person in charge of any lot or building, you must clear the snow and/or ice from your sidewalk within four (4) hours after the snow has stopped falling or by 11 a.m. if the snow stopped falling after 9 p.m. the night before.
If the snow becomes frozen and too hard to remove, you may spread sand, sawdust or another similarly suitable traction material within the same time limits.
As you clear your sidewalk, keep in mind: YOU MUST NOT THROW SNOW INTO THE STREET. It’s against the law and it forces Sanitation to re-plow your street. Also, never cover fire hydrants with snow – this could interfere with emergency firefighting efforts.
Failure to comply with the law may result in fines ranging from $100 to $350.
