[Vision2020] SIDEWALKS

[Chasuk]

Kit, Janesta, this is not addressed to either of you, specifically,
but is addressing a general situation that you have brought to our
attention.

On 12/7/05, Kit Craine <kcraine at moscow.com> wrote:
> For as long as I can remember, the City's response to problems related
> to snow is that it doesn't happen enough to worry about--or to change
> their procedures. As many can attest, it only takes a split second to
> slip, fall, and land with a broken bone. The few minutes someone spends
> clearing their sidewalk can save another months of pain and big medical
> bills. If property owners don't fulfill their responsibilities, the
> City should take an active roll in protecting public safety.

I'm going to have to admit that I am divided on this issue.  If I am
responsible for clearing the snow from the sidewalk in front of my
house, then it is _my_ sidewalk, and I should be able to disallow
trespassers.  If it isn't my sidewalk, then, logically, I should not
be responsible for keeping it clear.

A business is extending an invitation, "please visit me," but a
homeowner is not inviting the public to stroll past their house.  Is
the sidewalk public or private property?  If it is public property,
then the city is responsible for maintaining it; if it is private
property, then keep your accident-prone self away.

Note that I am not actually such a curmudgeon that I would prevent
little old ladies (or little old men or younger versions of either
sex) from strolling across my property, but such permission might be
conditional, with appropriate signage reading "Use at your own risk."

I don't own property, and I don't anticipate that I ever will, so
these musings are purely theoretical.