In sidewalk war, are Pittsburgh residents getting snowed?
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A man walks on Monday on a sidewalk near Grant Street, Downtown, at the end of the Eliza Furnace section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. -
A man walks on Monday on a sidewalk near Grant Street, Downtown, at the end of the Eliza Furnace section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. -
Steps in the South Side Slopes was snow covered Monday afternoon, going up from Leticoe and Eleanor Streets. -
A woman walks up the steps to the South Side Slopes off of S. 18th Street Monday.
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Pittsburgh Public Works inspectors on Monday began what their boss called a judicious enforcement of the city's sidewalk-clearing ordinance, issuing 26 warnings to residents and businesses that had been turned in for failing to remove snow.
In all 26 cases, Public Works Director Rob Kaczorowski said, inspectors acted on complaints from the city's 311 help line. He said the city, in announcing resumed enforcement of the ordinance, would continue to respond to complaints but did not intend to patrol neighborhoods in a search for violators.
"It's a minor thing to me," he said.
Mr. Kaczorowski said 81 sidewalk complaints had come in since Friday regarding properties citywide, and that some of the complaints still have to be investigated.
He acknowledged that some of the 311 complaints concerned snow on city-owned sidewalks, called in by residents angry that the city was admonishing private property owners before getting its own house fully in order.
He said the city would get to some of those properties -- such as city steps and the Eliza Furnace Trail -- as time and resources allow and would notify the school district or the county about any complaints that come in about their properties.
Throughout the city, dark, hard-packed snow piles continue to stand in medians, traffic islands, turning lanes and even crosswalks. The sidewalk between the First Avenue Bike and Blade Station and the T-stop at the First Avenue Garage was ice-caked Monday night.
The sidewalk along P.J. McArdle Roadway, connecting the Liberty Bridge with Mount Washington, was impassable Monday night with downed trees and mounds of plowed snow. Along Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington, the sidewalk was cleared and salted, but the overlooks remained covered with ice and snow.
"I do believe the government should step up and make the sidewalks passable for us. We have a rather large snow-removal budget," said Stephanie Richards, 20, who regularly walks to get around Mount Washington, where she lives.
First Published March 2, 2010 12:00 am
