Hank, can you describe the areas of the picture more clearly? I see a red car but can't tell if it's on the road, driveway, or a parking lot next to the sidewalk.

Thank you for helping me see this through your eyes.

The red car is parked on the street in front of the house next door. The largest clear area is where my driveway crosses the sidewalk. The clear area between the two ice patches near the top is directly in front of my house.

Unfortunately it is not possible for the snow plows to avoid getting snow on the sidewalks. The primary concern is the streets and making them safe and passable. Property owners are responsible for making the sidewalks passable. Unfortunately that may mean clearing them multiple times, using salt, etc. It is the same for every homeowner in Lansing.

It is actually quite easy to avoid getting snow on the sidewalks. The driver simply needs to slow down.

The driver has to slow down to a speed which makes it impossible to complete residential plowing in an efficient manner. There are 2400 lane miles to be plowed and a limited number of drivers and equipment. Again, the primary concern is opening up the streets and making them safe, not avoiding snow on the sidewalks. I understand the frustration, but it is a fact of living in an area where we receive heavy snowfall.

According to the City of Lansing website, "The occupant (or owner of an unoccupied parcel) must remove snow and ice from the sidewalk within 24 hours after the snow has fallen."

I need just a bit more clarification to be sure I'm always fully compliant.

1. When the plow throws snow back onto the sidewalk, does the 24 hours for removal of the thrown snow start at the time the plow threw the snow or the time the snow first fell?

2. If it is snowing at the time that the plow throws snow onto the sidewalk, does all of the snow (that which is falling and that which was thrown) need to be removed at the same time, or does the 24 hours for that which was thrown begin when it was thrown (or possibly when it first fell) and the 24 hours for that which is falling begin when it stops falling?

3. Since occupants may not be home when the plow throws snow onto the sidewalk, will the plow driver be documenting the date and time that the snow is thrown so that the occupant will know when to begin the 24 hour timer?

Any clarification on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

The 24 hour rule is from the END of the snowfall. The plow has no bearing on this requirement. So if it stops snowing at 3 a.m. the sidewalk should be clear the next morning at 3 a.m. even if the plows came through at noon and plowed snow back onto the sidewalk. The plows are responsible for making sure the streets are passable. Getting snow onto sidewalks and in driveways is an unavoidable consequence of that activity and has always been the responsibility of the property owner. Sidewalk inspections are usually done on a complaint basis. If you will be out of town during the winter you should make arrangements with a neighbor or someone else to ensure that your sidewalks are cleared as per the ordinance.

The plow has never made it to my street within 24 hours of the end of the snowfall. The soonest that my street has ever been cleared was 48 hours. This automatically puts me beyond the required 24 hour period, and therefore in violation as soon as the plow goes by.

Again...the plow has no bearing on sidewalk clearing. The plows generally will NOT make it into residential streets within 24 hours. That does not mean that people are not walking in those areas or that the sidewalks do not need to be cleared. In a large snowfall it is entirely likely that you will have to clear the sidewalk multiple times. That is a responsibility of home ownership. Some people choose to live in condominiums or apartments specifically because these types of maintenance issues are taken care of for them. If you wish for the ordinance to be changed that would be an issue for City Council.

The issue is not resolved.

How can you say that the 24 hour rule is from the end of the snowfall even if the plow pushes snow onto the sidewalks 2 days later? The homeowner needs to be allowed time to remove snow, no matter what the source is.

This issue is as resolved as it is going to get in this forum. Again, the ordinance can only be changed through an act of Council, so that is the avenue you should pursue should you want the ordinance changed. Inspectors do not canvass the City looking for violators. Most inspections are done when a resident complains. Inspectors also take things into account such as whether the snow looks fresh or like it's been there awhile. If you would like to talk to an inspector to get further information then you may do so by calling 483-4455. The goal here is to make our sidewalks safe for pedestrians, not to punish property owners. I am sorry that this is all the time I can devote to this issue in this forum. I have provided you with an avenue to make further complaint, so I am again closing this issue.