What To Do About Sidewalks That Haven’t Been Shoveled

We’ve now inched into the top 10 snowiest winters on record, and all that snow is taking a toll on pedestrians in some areas. You know those uncleared sections of sidewalk by now, the ones you cross the street to avoid, or creep over carefully trying not to wipe out. But aside from filing a complaint with 311 (which you can do today if the sidewalk hasn’t been cleared by 11am), which may result in a ticket (and/or possible jail time), what can you do?

Community Board 6 wants to help. In its recent newsletter, CB6 recommends contacting its office, and its staff will track down property owner information, reach out to them, and determine if they need assistance in clearing their walks, because they know that getting to all that snow and ice may be difficult for absentee, elderly, and physically-challenged property owners, for instance.

“If a property owner is jailed for failing to remove snow from their sidewalk, who will shovel the snow?” they write. “The City won’t.”

You can reach the CB6 office at 718-643-3027, x204.

Photo by adelph78