The City of Charlottesville requires residents to clear their walkways and adjacent sidewalk within 24 hours of the end of snowfall. Many other localities have the same basic law. It’s well-meaning and is based partly out of concern for residents who would find it difficult to navigate uncleared sidewalks.
But the snow removal ordinance ignores the undeniable reality that a great many city residents are simply NOT able to shovel even a modest amount of snow due to physical limitations common to both an older population (15% of our neighborhood’s population is 65 or older) as well as to people with various disabilities.
By requiring all residents and renters to clear the sidewalks around their property or face fines, the snow removal ordinance is based on the ableist assumption that all residents are young and healthy enough to comply without incurring undue risk to themselves. One size does not fit all and complying with this law would pose a serious and totally unnecessary risk to the health of many of our residents. It’s very well known that very cold temperatures and snow shoveling combine to create a serious threat to heart health.
We (the Neighborhood Association) have tried in the last several years have tried to fill the gap by helping neighbors in need but a big snowfall is well beyond our limited resources to handle. We have raised these objections with the City Manager’s office and the office of Neighborhood Development Services for the past several years and suggested the City should do the following: cut some slack to residents who are known to be physically incapable of fulfilling this legal obligation; use private contractors to clear the snow and ice for these residents; and charge for the service based on the resident’s income. We will continue to press this case. Contact us if you would like to help with this campaign.
