City of Ice

In Friday's (February 7, 2014) issue of The Reading Eagle, there was one article in particular that stood out to me: ice and snow removal. The article entitled "Laws on ice, snow removal taken with a grain of salt" by Steven Henshaw can be found in the Berks & Beyond section on page B5. Henshaw's article discusses how the city of Reading's slick sidewalks are affecting its residents and what's being done to clean up.

With the recent winter storms hitting one after another, it seems as though we barely have time to clean up the first mess before the next one arrives. With Thursday's ice storm, all of the snow that came down became covered in sheets of ice, making it difficult to clear away. Slippery sidewalks are becoming a lawsuit waiting to happen, so code enforcers are traveling around the city and giving notices/warnings to those who need to clean their parts of the sidewalk. One enforcer is quoted saying that, "We've had a hard time this year. People don't seem to want to shovel for some reason." Now seriously, who actually WANTS to shovel? The problem in Reading is that many homes are rented and the landlord is said to be responsible for clearing the snow in the many cases reported. However, the city is said to have been very permissive about the issue. Henshaw interviews a few residents who were out walking and they complained of the time it's taking them to get from one place to another due to the necessary walking precautions. One man was interviewed as he was shoveling the ice away with a flat head digging shovel. Apparently, the trick is to first apply salt and then pick away at it.

Although I'm from a more suburban area 15 minutes away, I am no stranger to the city of Reading. I've worked downtown for many years and this has by far been the worst year for weather. Luckily, the Downtown Improvement District employs people to remove snow in the more central areas. However, many of the residential areas remain a slippery mess. It's something I always wondered about- how does snow removal work in a city? Apparently not very well (according to this article). I used to hear stories in the news about people getting shot at after taking someone else's shoveled out parking space. People are crazy as it is, and the snow just brings out the extra crazy.

People need to just keep in mind that we're all in the same situation when it comes to the weather. We all have to deal with it some way, and shoveling a small part of the sidewalk (if you're able to) is just a common courtesy. Below freezing temperatures and ice storms, however; are just pure evil pouring over the city and making life more difficult... and annoying.