Ordinarily, I am against jaywalking for reasons outlined here. However, when forced to choose between jaywalking on salted and cleared streets and sidewalks and walking on a sidewalk covered with ice and snow and falling on my ass . . . I choose jaywalking.
Let’s talk about the block in downtown Peoria bordered by Main, Monroe, Hamilton, and Madison. The following businesses/entities are in this block - the federal courthouse, a National Garages parking lot, Madison Theater, Euro Jacks, Gin Joint, Adam’s Apple, the Judge’s Chambers, and Hoops. Of course, the sidewalks in front of the federal courthouse are always clear and ice-free (our tax dollars at work). And, despite my extreme dislike of National Garages, I admit that they keep their portions of the sidewalks clear and ice-free as well.
Now let’s talk about the rest of these businesses. In the nearly seven years I have been walking on this block (and I walk on these sidewalks every weekday), I have never seen any of the businesses mentioned above clear the snow from the sidewalks in front of their establishments. NEVER. They don’t even bother to throw a little salt down, the lazy person’s version of shoveling. And we all know what happens to snow when it is trampled on. It gets packed down into very slippery and very uneven sheets of ice.
Isn’t there a city ordinance requiring business owners to clear sidewalks of snow and ice??
Isn’t there some moral code that tells these business owners that it is neighborly to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice??
Wouldn’t it just be good PR for these business owners to clear their sidewalks??
And, finally, (maybe this will convince them), do these business owners have any idea how many lawyers and JUDGES walk on those sidewalks every day??
Well, until any of these people wise up (or the city decides to actually enforce its codes fairly), I will continue to jaywalk to the cleared sides of the streets. And just in case a cop decides to issue a ticket to me rather than enforce the more obvious ordinance violation, I am prepared to raise holy hell detailing my justifiable actions defense.
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4 comments:
Ever consider cleats?
They don't put cleats on women's high heel shoes.
A property owner generally owes no duty to its customers to remove snow or ice that accumulates naturally on the premises.
Business owners can be held liable in a slip and fall case for an unnatural accumulation of ice and snow. Best to leave it alone, in its natural state and face the city's wrath than a civil lawsuit. Hooray for lawyers.
When I had my restaurant, I shoveled because the landlord, who was supposedly responsible for doing so, yet did so for other identities he owned, just had a bad habit of "forgetting" or became too lazy to shovel mine. I wouldn't doubt the same thing is true where you are describing: tenants don't feel it is their responsibility and owners are at home counting their money.
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