Plenty of people ignoring KC's sidewalk-cleaning law
Yael T. AbouhalkahThink Kansas Citians are scared of being fined for not shoveling snow off their sidewalks by today’s get-tough deadline, advertised in all the media for the last few days?
Think again.
I drove by hundreds upon hundreds of houses and businesses this morning with unshoveled walkways.
They were on Walrond, Agnes, Benton, Montgall, Wabash, Park, Brooklyn, Woodland, and 18th, 23rd and 24th streets.
All of these central city streets are in the heart of Kansas City, where people use the sidewalks a lot.
So if KC officials are serious about their sidewalk-cleaning ordinance, they could be raking in tens of thousands of dollars in fines because residents and businesses haven’t bothered to totally clear their sidewalks after last week’s snowstorm.
And my tour was in just one part of the city. Parts of sidewalks in downtown, Crossroads and Brookside neighborhoods - to name a few - are not yet shoveled as far as their sidewalks go.
My take: I’m sure Kansas City will only react to the called-in violations. And the fines aren’t that much - possibly not enough to make people plow their sidewalks anyway.
Plus, some people are probably just waiting for the warm weather predicted later this week to clear their sidewalks.
Here’s the official warning from the city of Kansas City. We’ll see if the city - and the people who are reporting uncleared sidewalks to the city -are taken seriously this week:
“The City of Kansas City, Mo., will begin enforcing the provisions of the sidewalk clearing ordinance on the morning of Monday, March 4. The sidewalk clearing ordinance is in Sec. 64-246 of the City’s Code of Ordinances.
“Residents may make complaints regarding uncleared sidewalks to the 311 Call Center beginning Monday morning by calling 311 or 816-513-1313 or online at www.kcmo.org/311. These complaints will be handled by the Neighborhood Preservation Division of the City’s Neighborhoods and Housing Services Department. Penalties for non-compliance will depend on the violation’s severity. Most fines will likely range between $25-$100.
“According to Sec. 64.246 of the Code of Ordinances, “it shall be the duty of all persons owning or occupying any real property, fronting upon any street, boulevard or highway, to remove from the sidewalks in front or alongside of such property all ice and snow within a reasonable time after cessation of a storm depositing such ice or snow. The provisions of chapter 62, article III, pertaining to littering, and penalties for violations thereof, shall be applicable to violations of this section.”
Paula Neale
2 months, 3 weeks agoAs a citizen living in an area where the city never installed sidewalks in the first place, I’m having a bit of trouble feeling sorry for the rest of you.
Darren Leu
2 months, 2 weeks agoI have friends and family that like to walk in the parks. I dont see those sidewalks cleared.
Take care of yourself before scaring the people, importantly the elderly on receiving a ticket for their sidewalks not being cleared, and health issues arise due to trying to shovel their sidewalks.
Jill Daubresse
2 months, 2 weeks agoI have to agree with Paula Neale. We have no sidewalks either, and the ONE sidewalk on North Holmes they put in for the school kids, has disappeared under snow, mud, and tree branches.
So the kids end up walking in the street.
Carla Payne Akins
2 months, 2 weeks agoAs a home owner I would be far more concerned with a litigious pedestrian than the city fine.