A business neighbor and a town resident commented about snow removal from public sidewalks, just after the recent snow last week.
It seems as if this area gets less and less snow each year (and more ice storms), and when it arrives it is generally gone within 24 hours.
Not this time. With the 3-4" of snow and then the cold snap, the snow stayed around. It's still covering local yards and filling up parking spaces in lots.
And that brought on the questions. What are the town's requirements for removing snow from public sidewalks? How much time do you have? Does town code address residential and business addresses? How about homeowner associations or rental properties?
If the entire code were available on the web site, citizens could inform themselves and stay in compliance. If, during periods of inclement weather, a notice or marqee message were to be placed on the town's home page, this would be another means for reminding people of their neighborly obligations.
And when it's not done, who do you complain to? Your neighbor? Town manager? Mayor? Police?
This is a big deal to some people, especially those whose primary transportation is their own two feet. Then we have many areas in town without any sidewalks, pushing pedestrians out onto the roadway during inclement weather, too.
This can be a big deal to people in other localities, also. Just see the related article in the
Roanoke Times.
Hopefully, with the promised upgrades to the town's web site, this type of information will be made available and those who have questions can find the answers to this, and other questions, addressed within town ordinances or code.