3 ms·

I have to maintain them, snow removal in the winter, pay to have them replaced when the crack, liability for injury if people trip and fall, sidewalks invite p

I have to maintain them, snow removal in the winter, pay to have them replaced when the crack, liability for injury if people trip and fall, sidewalks invite people walking their dogs who do not clean up after them.... Tons of reasons.

theGnuMe 4y ago
The liability is a red herring because technically that land is not yours if it is adjacent to the public road (at least in Minnesota). Your town however can force you to remove the snow and ice on it. I don't know about repairs... most likely the city will fix it and charge you an assessment. When they upgrade the sewer and roads they usually add an assessment to the adjacent properties vs paying for it out of tax revenue.
- rahimnathwani 4y ago
  This depends on where you live. In San Francisco: Under the provisions of Article 15, Section 706 of the Public Works Code, it is the responsibility of property owners to maintain the sidewalk in front of and/or surrounding their property, including driveways and sidewalk structures, and to repair any defects or conditions which may cause injury to persons or damage to property. In the event of such occurrences, property owners are liable for any claims that may arise. This seems bonkers to me, as I grew up in the UK, where you're not responsible for maintaining stuff that's not yours.
  - bscphil 4y ago
    > to repair any defects or conditions which may cause injury to persons or damage to property This is a remarkably strong requirement. I wonder if the same holds in Los Angeles, and if so, how every property owner has not been sued out of existence by now. I don't know that I've ever seen a sidewalk adjoining private property being repaired, and the state of the sidewalks shows it. I've tripped over bulging chunks of concrete pushed up by tree roots I don't know how many times.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  - MomoXenosaga 4y ago
    In my country they have rules that (fast food) restaurants have to keep the side walk clean from trash.
- phpisthebest 4y ago
  >The liability is a red herring because technically that land is not yours if it is adjacent to the public road (at least in Minnesota) That is not true in most places I have ever lived, the Side Walk is an "public use easement" that the property owner is required to keep in good working condition at their expense including removing snow, mowing, ensuring it is not blocked, and does not pose a hazard In every city I have lived The city can and will fine the property owner if the snow is not cleared with in 24 hours, if you allow a guest to block the sidewalk by parking over it (i.e more than a few cars in your drive where the care intrude in to the sidewalk) or of cracks or other hazards appear. We just had to pay to have the sidewalks replaced in front of my grandparents home (who are dead but the family still owns the home) because there were in disrepair.
  - landemva 4y ago
    I live in a town where property owner's lot lines connect - 1/2 way into what looks like a road. The 'roads' are actually reciprocal easements to every other property owner in town. A big part of town budget is to maintain the 'roads'. The town understands the taxpayers are boss so they do a good job on road maintenance. It seems the less stuff government owns, the more they respect the taxpayers.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - buffet_overflow 4y ago
    What happens if you're out of town during that 24 hour window? How large are the fines?
    - phpisthebest 4y ago
      We actually have this problem with a family member that lives in another city who is disabled. We have had a hard time this year finding a contractor to even pay to do it. In years past we had neighbors who had teens assist ( paid ) but the number teens is dropping and even fewer want to shovel snow so... Fines are not exactly defines but are capped at $1000 per event
jonp888 4y ago
Clearly you see sidewalks as entirely useless constructions that represent only unecessary cost and risk. It's incredibly sad that in your perfect world no one would ever walk further than from the door of their dwelling to the door of their motor vehicle. No wonder 40% of the US population is obese.
- phpisthebest 4y ago
  Lack of Walking is not the reason the US is obese. Walking does not burn that many calories. What an absurd statement. The US is obese for many reasons including decades of nutrition education focused on a high carb diet ( food pyramid ), large portion sizes, and subsidized high fructose corn syrup
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

theGnuMe 4y ago

The liability is a red herring because technically that land is not yours if it is adjacent to the public road (at least in Minnesota). Your town however can force you to remove the snow and ice on it. I don't know about repairs... most likely the city will fix it and charge you an assessment. When they upgrade the sewer and roads they usually add an assessment to the adjacent properties vs paying for it out of tax revenue.

rahimnathwani 4y ago
This depends on where you live. In San Francisco: Under the provisions of Article 15, Section 706 of the Public Works Code, it is the responsibility of property owners to maintain the sidewalk in front of and/or surrounding their property, including driveways and sidewalk structures, and to repair any defects or conditions which may cause injury to persons or damage to property. In the event of such occurrences, property owners are liable for any claims that may arise. This seems bonkers to me, as I grew up in the UK, where you're not responsible for maintaining stuff that's not yours.
- bscphil 4y ago
  > to repair any defects or conditions which may cause injury to persons or damage to property This is a remarkably strong requirement. I wonder if the same holds in Los Angeles, and if so, how every property owner has not been sued out of existence by now. I don't know that I've ever seen a sidewalk adjoining private property being repaired, and the state of the sidewalks shows it. I've tripped over bulging chunks of concrete pushed up by tree roots I don't know how many times.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- MomoXenosaga 4y ago
  In my country they have rules that (fast food) restaurants have to keep the side walk clean from trash.
phpisthebest 4y ago
>The liability is a red herring because technically that land is not yours if it is adjacent to the public road (at least in Minnesota) That is not true in most places I have ever lived, the Side Walk is an "public use easement" that the property owner is required to keep in good working condition at their expense including removing snow, mowing, ensuring it is not blocked, and does not pose a hazard In every city I have lived The city can and will fine the property owner if the snow is not cleared with in 24 hours, if you allow a guest to block the sidewalk by parking over it (i.e more than a few cars in your drive where the care intrude in to the sidewalk) or of cracks or other hazards appear. We just had to pay to have the sidewalks replaced in front of my grandparents home (who are dead but the family still owns the home) because there were in disrepair.
- landemva 4y ago
  I live in a town where property owner's lot lines connect - 1/2 way into what looks like a road. The 'roads' are actually reciprocal easements to every other property owner in town. A big part of town budget is to maintain the 'roads'. The town understands the taxpayers are boss so they do a good job on road maintenance. It seems the less stuff government owns, the more they respect the taxpayers.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- buffet_overflow 4y ago
  What happens if you're out of town during that 24 hour window? How large are the fines?
  - phpisthebest 4y ago
    We actually have this problem with a family member that lives in another city who is disabled. We have had a hard time this year finding a contractor to even pay to do it. In years past we had neighbors who had teens assist ( paid ) but the number teens is dropping and even fewer want to shovel snow so... Fines are not exactly defines but are capped at $1000 per event

jonp888 4y ago

Clearly you see sidewalks as entirely useless constructions that represent only unecessary cost and risk. It's incredibly sad that in your perfect world no one would ever walk further than from the door of their dwelling to the door of their motor vehicle. No wonder 40% of the US population is obese.

phpisthebest 4y ago
Lack of Walking is not the reason the US is obese. Walking does not burn that many calories. What an absurd statement. The US is obese for many reasons including decades of nutrition education focused on a high carb diet ( food pyramid ), large portion sizes, and subsidized high fructose corn syrup
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]