Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Hyde Park's Shovel Slackers

posted by chicago pop


Slacker Address: 5515 S. Dorchester (12/07/2010)

It's that time of year again when we highlight slacker property owners who don't shovel their sidewalks, letting trampled snow freeze into icy sheets that can make treacherous going for pedestrians, dogs, and strollers.

Slacker Address: 5517 S. Blackstone (12/07/2010)

As always, the problem areas are in the charmed area blessed with I.M. Pei's warren of brick boxes, which seem to have the architectural property of subconsciously deterring their owners from complying with city ordinances. After this first December snowfall, the south stretch of sidewalk along 55th has again been conspicuously neglected by its neighbors.

Slacker Address: 5517 S. Blackstone (12/07/2010)

Call 311 to report an address adjoining unshoveled sidewalks. From the Chicago Department of Transportation:

Chicago Municipal Code 4-4-310 and 10-8-180 require property owners to remove snow and ice from the sidewalks in front of their properties.

Addressing sidewalk snow removal is a top priority of the MPAC, composed of representatives of government, health care, and business and community organizations.

Citizens can call 311 to report a location where sidewalks have not been cleared of snow.


10 comments:

Unknown said...

Most of the slacker sidewalks near me are adjacent to city-owned land. :(

lauren said...

So I'm curious, do the shoveling ordinances apply to city property as well? I'm thinking particularly of the walkways on the north side of 55th around Ellis, with the north side of the 55th/Ellis intersection being particularly treacherous. That Ingleside-Ellis block north of 55th has been the bane of my winter existence for many years now.

Otto said...

The perpetually winter-treacherous sidewalk immediately north of 5517 S. Blackstone is the responsibility of Monoxide Towers, no?

chicago pop said...

Leo: I know the area you mean and yes it is a headache. I think it sits on the boundary between the 4th and 5th wards, which may make it difficult to do anything about. Since the sidewalk across the berm running along the north side of 55th is a major pedestrian route, it ought to be cleared. It might be that no one knows who is responsible for it. Worth a call to the alderman to find out who it belongs to.

Otto: The sidewalks pictured above are the responsibility of the property owners at the addresses indicated. Unless there are some bizarre snow clearing arrangements that we don't know about, and aren't being fulfilled in any case.

Otto said...

Yah, that's what I always supposed. I'm pretty sure I picked up the UPC tidbit, accurate or no, from a "Good Neighbors" posting two or three winters ago. I don't actually subscribe, so I can't go through their archives.

D said...

The four corners around 55th where the sidewalk veers away from the townhouses are the responsibility of the UPCA. The sidewalks with townhouses right in front of them are the responsibility of the townhouse owners. I don't know if those four grassy triangles are actually UPCA property or if there is just an arrangement for the staff to clear them. I think those sections of sidewalk are usually cleared.

Jerad Weiner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jerad Weiner said...

If you have a favorite business that does an exceptional job in clearing their sidewalks, have them put this poster up in their windows so their customers can nominate them for special recognition from the City of Chicago.

Here's a link to the poster:
http://bit.ly/gW1Dey

Timothy Fitz said...

Pictures and address?! I love it!

Jerad Weiner said...

I wanted to correct a post I made earlier this week.

The best way to report unshoveled sidewalks is to call Chicago's 311 system and report a "Sidewalk Snow Removal Request."

Jerad Weiner

Pedestrian Program Assistant
Chicago Department of Transportation