Snow shoveling regulations

In Snow, Weather by Greater City Providence6 Comments

Download printable version, you know, in case you want to give one to someone who may not be aware of the regulations. English, Español [.pdf]

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Greater City Providence

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Promoting the smart urban growth of the Greater Providence region.

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  2. Check the candidate survey he filed with this website during the primary campaign. I think you’ve got to give Taveras ‘scoreboard’ on this. Has any other mayor supported sidewalk clearing like this?

    I hope he squeezes the DOT to clear the sidewalks on the highway overpasses and underpasses. Per regulation.

  3. The candidates survey is here. And this is what now Mayor Taveras said about snow removal as a candidate:

    10. Snow Removal
    The city has an ordinance which states that the abutting property owner must remove snow from sidewalks. This ordinance has gone un-enforced for years creating a major public safety issue for the city’s residents every time it snows. The city and the state are notable offenders in not clearing snow from sidewalks abutting their property (sidewalks abutting parks, public buildings, on overpasses, etc.). How will you hold private property owners, the state, and the city itself accountable for removing snow in a timely fashion, and how will you ensure that snow removal ordinances are enforced?

    The status quo is unacceptable. If we want a walkable city, it has to walkable 12 months of the year. Other, far snowier cities have far higher standards of behavior for snow removal. There is no excuse for Providence not to remove snow as effectively as other Northern cities.

    The City and State must do their part on all of their properties. As Mayor, I can assure you that Providence will lead by example with public property.

    The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has a responsibility to clear snow from highway overpass sidewalks. I will develop a way to get snow removal assets onto these critical walkways, no matter where they are in the City.

    In the neighborhood, I believe that citizens have to lead by: (1) setting the example; (2) working with neighbors to help those who cannot shovel; and (3) reporting dangerous situations.

    In the parks, I believe we have an opportunity to innovate. Why not work with neighborhood groups, perhaps youth organizations, to complement the work done by the Parks Department and make outstanding snow removal a point of pride for Providence residents?

    The bottom line is this: as Mayor, I will enforce this ordinance to ensure that Providence walkers, bus riders and bikers have clear travel to work and school. After adequately informing the public about the ordinance and its importance through traditional and new media, I will direct my Public Safety Commissioner to create a plan for enforcing the ordinance.

  4. We’re now plenty past the snow and there are plenty of sidewalks untouched. Is there a city contact at dpw that we can report for not clearing the sidewalk?

  5. You can report unshoveled sidewalks to the Office of Neighborhood Services via this webform. Or call 401-421-7768 between 8:30am and 4:30pm.

  6. I’m glad to see this taken seriously by everyone, not just officials (though it’s seriously important for them too). It used to bother me as a kid walking to school or anywhere that I had to walk in the street, it feels very second rate. As an adult, I’m sure many would rightfully not want to bother with that feeling and just drive to wherever they need to during the snow interim. Unfortunately, it puts a hurt on neighborhood businesses financially and on participation civiclly when we go elsewhere.

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