Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Shovel shaming


From PIX11:

As the temperature starts to rise, and the snow slowly starts to melt, some New York City sidewalks remain covered by their white blankets - and that's a problem a councilman is working to fix.

City Councilman Justin Brannan hopes to do it by introducing what he calls "Shovels of Shame." He wants fines for failure to shovel to rise. In the meantime, he's started posting pictures of snowfall scofflaws on social media with the Shovels of Shame tag. He's hoping if extra fines won't convince the businesses to shovel, maybe public pressure will.

"When the average small business owner gets out there and shovels, when the average homeowner gets out there and shovels, you would think that some of these big corporate chains can get out there and shovel just like everybody else," Brannan said. "If you're not going to do it, then we're going to put you on blast. That's what Shovels of Shame is all about."

Right now the city requires responsible parties to shovel their sidewalk between 4 and 14 hours after the snow stops falling. If you don't, fines range between $100 and $350. Brannan wants to increase the fines for chain retailers. The new penalties would range from $1,000 to $5,000 and would apply to businesses with 10 or more locations.

17 comments:

Joe Moretti said...

Increase fines, yet FAIL to enforce the law. Might as well make the fine $1,000,000,000.

First you must ENFORCE THE LAW
Second, you must collect the money.

Neither of these two rarely happen.

NYC - NEW YORK CHAOS.

Joe Moretti said...

AND don't forget to SHAME the MTA and the Parks & Recreation Department, both who leave sidewalks around their areas shoveled. Take a look at the sidewalks surrounding the MTA entrance and small park (I guess you would call it) at the Jamaica/Van Wyck subway stop. Days after the snowfall and it was not shoveled.

(sarc) said...

Is the councilman looking to generate more revenue for him to bring back to his district?

There are no ulterior motives to see here...

Anonymous said...

Until the fines are enforced unilaterally and consistently, this is frozen eternally.

Anonymous said...

And what happens when the parks department doesn't shovel? After every storm there are sidewalks adjacent to parks that are unshoveled and slushy/icy. Ditto for bus stops and some LIRR-adjacent areas.

KG2V said...

Worst offenders are the city itself, the various agencies, and the like (Con Ed, TWC)
Can you imagine if the MTA and LIRR actually cleared their snow>

Anonymous said...

So what happens when you shovel your property to black top and sanitation plows come and push the snow back into the driveway, entrance to the driveway?
Seems to be happening after each snowstorm.
Any fines for that?

Anonymous said...

Legally speaking I don't see how this would stand up in court. He's singling out businesses for increased fines.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Mr. Gallo, the city is hands down the worst offender when it comes to failing to clear snow from sidewalks (fire hydrants too). it's nauseating that these sorry excuses for space (electeds) feel the need to shame a homeowner or business when they are employed by the most egregious offender.

"Do as i say, not as i do" - new NYC Motto

TommyR said...

Gov't gives you 4 hrs to hustle and bust ass back home to clear your sidewalks, claims it's exempt from liability for any sidewalk injury suits (EXCEPT for anything under 3 families).

Recently dealt with idiocy involving a problem tenant who painted the curb. Found out, removed paint. Went to court to contest, judgement? "You admitted there was paint to remove, the tenant is an agent of the owner, fine upheld!" Easiest $250 the city ever made.

I keep my walks clear, and help my elderly neighbor, and the guy across the street, me and him help each other. Granted, the plows really took care of us - but that's exemplary and reflective of Sanitation being on point (not that they aren't paid handsomely, too), nothing to do with the broader administration.

This is just soap-boxing by another overpaid (and jeezus, OVERFED) do-nothing.

Never has a URL been so tellingly descriptive:

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/10/30/nyregion/30council20/00council20-superJumbo.jpg

Anonymous said...

Well let's start with the City themselves, as they and the MTA are the worst offenders, increasing the fines will of course impact homeowners, landlords, and small business owners, who in large part comply, and are targeted, while big corporate chains and the city itself get recused from this responsibility. The city does hire extra people to shovel snow during these times. Perhaps this will improve the situation.

Anonymous said...

The worst are the developer sites that sit there for months, if not years, not shoveled, broken sidewalks, a blight to the block so someone can make a killing.

Anonymous said...

NYCHA needs to be shamed as well. With all the shiny new pick up trucks they have, you would think they could put a plow on one or two and clear the paths through the projects.

JQ LLC said...

Another blowhard hack elected official grandstanding for media attention with lame gimmicks instead of legislating. Like Van Bramer, Dromm, and Espinal add this brick pile of shit to the blacklist.

This jerkoff is actually targeting small businesses in the effect that it's going to make large chains be more diligent after a snowfall. Shouldn't this be the other way around?

And the city office properties, sans city hall of course, parks and the goddamn MTA are the worst when it comes to shoveling, they barely leave enough room for a single file.

The NYC motto is actually "Do as I say, not as I do so fuck you" (copyright JQ LLC)

Anonymous said...

So, this is the latest in harassment masquerading as productivity from City Council-boy Justin Brainless? How about We, the People show up, EN MASS, to publicly shame the entire city council, for taxation WITHOUT representation, a dereliction of public duty, disregarding the oath of public office by which Brannan swore to uphold, and the greatest crime of them all, for appointing themselves a 38% pay raise, whilst their ever languishing constituency are receiving static wages (from petrified paychecks, circa 1979), and NO DEFINED CITY PENSIONS?

Who is this vacuous joker, and how about public referendum to impeach ALL city council members BECAUSE of their 'Lunch-and-a-Manicure' as a stressful day at City Hall work ethic?

❝Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure.❞ ―Robert LeFevre

❝Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think that we are being run by maniacs for maniacal ends, and I think that I am liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.❞ —John Lennon

❝Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.❞ — Friedrich Nietzsche

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuMntvVwwWM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsL6mKxtOlQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycuw9Cvh6W4

http://www.tcm.com/.../Demon-Seed-Movie-Clip-Try-To...

Anonymous said...

I work on 75th Street off Cooper Avenue in Middle Village. I have to walk past the Collisseum Gym every morning. The filth and disgusting amount of garbage they leave on the side walk...also huge tires and old concrete gym weight on the curb you have to step around. They did not shovel since the snow storm....its a mine field. Called Sanitation Garage in Maspeth..made 311 complaints....useless....they must know someone or giving free memberships to Sanitation workers.

Anonymous said...

I work on 75th Street off Cooper Avenue in Middle Village. I have to walk past the Collisseum Gym every morning. The filth and disgusting amount of garbage they leave on the side walk...also huge tires and old concrete gym weight on the curb you have to step around. They did not shovel since the snow storm....its a mine field. Called Sanitation Garage in Maspeth..made 311 complaints....useless....they must know someone or giving free memberships to Sanitation workers.