February 16, 2012 in City

Doug Clark: Wayward snow toss will cost you

Doug Clark The Spokesman-Review

Tags:bermsMayor Condonpoliticianssnowsnow plow

In the latest example of your busybody government at work, Spokane’s City Council has decided to make outlaws out of we citizens who dare toss snow into the streets.

Weird. I don’t remember snow fines being promised by any Council candidates during the recent campaign season.

But in a 5-1 vote, the council ruled to charge homeowners 52 bucks for acts of slushy defiance.

Well, bring it on, plowboys.

I’ll come clean. I’ve been known to throw snow into the boulevard now and then.

And I liked it.

That’s because it was usually after some renegade plow jockey turned the Clark driveway into the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

So no cheesy fine is gonna scare me.

Besides, who’ll enforce this snow job?

Cops don’t have the manpower to catch burglars, let alone bust a shoveler with a wayward aim.

Maybe Mayor David Condon and his council mates will form a special Spokane Flakes Unit and prowl the neighborhoods with citation books in hand.

Well, come and get me. They can have my snow blower when they can pry my frostbitten fingers off the handle.

Yeah, I finally broke down and bought myself an actual gas-powered snow thrower.

It’s pretty good, too. If I set the tosser at just the right angle, I can almost spew snow onto the sidewalk all the way across the street.

That’s probably a violation of several snow ordinances.

Political sources tell me these new rules were passed at the urging of street department officials who were extremely bored due to the wimpy winter we’re having.

I don’t know if that’s true. But if they want to do something constructive, they’d come up with a berm alternative.

Every time we get pounded by blizzards, city plow crews start piling whatever they scrape up (snow, frozen chunks, slow panhandlers …) right into the middle of practically every street in the downtown business core.

What a mess.

If the snow keeps up, these abstract ice mounds start rising up like the Himalayas. I once saw John Roskelley planting a flag on the summit of this enormous berm near the Paulsen building.

Here’s a question.

What is it about winning an election that turns seemingly normal human beings into intrusive know-it-alls who want to control the most niggling aspects of our daily lives?

Take the last mayor, Mary Verner. Remember when she came up with that idiotic scheme to regulate lawn watering?

When a homeowner got to douse his grass depended on this complicated formula that involved his astrological sign and whether his house had an even or odd number of unwanted houseguests.

I could never figure it out.

But why can’t these snoops just let us water or shovel as we see fit?

I’m not saying I’d be any different.

Vote me into office and within a week I’d try to legislate my own pet peeves.

Like waiting for an elevator. I’d love to make it a felony for anybody to push an up or a down button that is already lit.

The Elevator Redundancy Act, I’d call it.

My point is that candidates sure love to talk about the virtues of smaller government when they’re running for office.

Once elected, however, these big talkers start passing laws like bunny rabbits passing pellets.

And it all rolls downhill on you know who.

Doug Clark is a columnist for The Spokesman-Review. He can be reached at (509) 459-5432 or by email at dougc@spokesman.com.

24 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

deacon46 on February 16 at 7:18 a.m.
The idiots who shovel/blow snow into the streets ends up in some elses drive way, for them to shovel. Besides adding to all ready dangerous driving. Show some respect !
DDC on February 16 at 7:25 a.m.
Some are born to greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them….Doug Clark….the Gandhi of crushing, government snow removal oppression!
lewis8457 on February 16 at 7:46 a.m.
What is good for the goose Doug, when i have my sidewalk clean I will take a time stamped picture after the plow covers it with chunks of ice i will take another pic and send it to the city with my own fee amount.
The city needs to fix its issues before expecting me to care.
No worries though they never fine folks for not shoveling at all and I know that is a actual law.
huskerinwa on February 16 at 8:56 a.m.
They won’t write tickets for not shoveling your walks, I wouldn’t worry to much about enforcement.
Hey Mayor, your first pothole season is here, FIX OUR STREETS!!
PlanB on February 16 at 9:00 a.m.
This doesn’t go near far enough as far as I’m concerned. They should make it illegal to snow on streets and sidewalks. Any homeowner violating the policy will be fined until it hurts, let’s say at least $44.12.7.
johnwe on February 16 at 9:05 a.m.
What this city needs is a snow blowers militia. Every time city plows block our driveways with a huge berm of snow, we blow every particle right back into the street where it came from. And when Condon’s coppers come to get us, we give them a Snickers bar, a 2-liter bottle of pop, and a $52 fine.
RedCedar on February 16 at 9:06 a.m.
Don’t get so worked up about it. Almost every city has an ordinance against shoveling snow into the street, and nobody enforces it (no ordnance behind the ordinance, so to speak) unless you happen to live next door to the mayor or something. City people these days are too concerned about the implications of ridiculous laws that are never enforced. Better to just ignore them like country folks do.
As for piling snow into the middle of the streets, what would you have them do? Put a dump truck and loader team on every street to haul the snow away as fast as it piles up? Blading it to the middle of the street is the easiest way to keep a lot of roads open with a minimum of manpower, equipment hours, and carbon footprint. If it turns out to be not much of a storm, it’s easy enough to just leave the berm there to melt. If it looks like it’s going to stick around a while or keep piling up, they can then come back with the loaders and dump trucks when there’s a lull in the storm.
This just sounds like grumbling for the sake of grumbling, and for lack of anything better to grumble about.
silverlake89 on February 16 at 9:19 a.m.
“Blading it to the middle of the street is the easiest way to keep a lot of roads open…”
And it would keep it off the sidewalks and driveways, maybe you suggest plowing to the center instead of plowing to the sides to the city.
WHS on February 16 at 9:30 a.m.
Boy, sure is a good thing Spokane elected this new Mayor and Council to fix things! Man, I sure didn’t realize that this was such an issue… No wonder businesses don’t want to come to Spokane. Wonder how much time this new council and mayor spent working on this and if they are going to add this to the new Spokane Business Pamphlet?
Why do business in Spokane? Because we know how to manage the real problems.
WHS
jdspokanewa on February 16 at 9:40 a.m.
What the city needs to do is TOW cars in violation of the snow emergency, this way the plows can actually clear the snow to the curb right away instead of making several passes over many hours (leaving berms in people’s driveways every few hours after it’s already been dug out by homeowners).
terrymr on February 16 at 9:54 a.m.
Notice that it says homeowners … what about businesses that plow their parking lots onto the sidewalk etc. ??
RedCedar on February 16 at 10:13 a.m.
It’s not a matter of “what the city needs to do”, nor is it about new ordinances against homeowners. What it is about is that a big snowstorm is a rare event in Spokane, and everyone needs to relax, accept that today will be different from an average day, and if you’re able-bodied and have equipment (anything from a shovel to a truck with a plow), get out and do what you can around your neighborhood. Yes, the city plows will plug everyone’s driveway and plow their cars in. It can’t be helped if they’re to have any chance at keeping the streets clear. Some regular shuffling around of cars on the block can really help, as well as getting unused ones off the streets.
If you have a snow blower, consider blowing the sidewalks all around the block and not just in front of your own house. Yes, legally everyone is supposed to clear their own sidewalk, but what’s wrong with doing your neighbors a favor once every couple years? Likewise for the guys who have a pickup with a plow or even an ATV plow. That makes short work of un-berming cars and driveways, especially if you get to it before it’s frozen solid. Or if you don’t have any equipment or don’t feel like helping, at least don’t complain that the city hasn’t singled your house out for special loving care and attention. The thing about snow is it always melts and life gets back to normal.
MrNatural on February 16 at 10:16 a.m.
Courtesy and consideration is hard to regulate…but juvenile defiance abounds… if I know my conservative politicians like I do the first thing out of their mouth when aggrieved is “There ought to be a law.”
WHS on February 16 at 11:52 a.m.
Now that’s funny MrNatural! Good one
Ed Byrnes on February 16 at 12:09 p.m.
It’s not that hard to shovel or blow the snow into one’s own front yard, especially since walkways and driveways are often adjacent to front yards. Is this too hard of a concept for mulletville?
soccermomsusie on February 16 at 12:36 p.m.
A Doug Clark Trifecta in one article!!!!
Doug used one of my very old posts, channeled Ed Anger’s schtick and even used last week’s degenerate, science worshiping Bill Mahr’s HBO New Rules segment in his column!
I CALL THAT UNDERCOVER INCLUSIVENESS!!!
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!
brianrbreen on February 16 at 12:43 p.m.
@terrymr
Very good point, especially in areas where kids are walking to and from school and have to decide whether to go in the street or battle the high piles of snow which many times are pushed right up to where they are supposed to stand (including by the City), and look both ways and listen before crossing.
I would hope the new law is meant for property owners including businesses.
Enforcement of course is an entirely different issue; it is kind of like the old “Loitering to Sell Drugs Ordinance”, if you remember that…not sure what ever happened to that, perhaps you would remember.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19890213&id=rA5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v-8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2582,7420825
I’m not sure if there would be enough revenue generated to justify the costs associated with staffing a “Snowflake Enforcement Officer” including salary, benefits, a four wheel drive vehicle, office space and the like, especially since the call on Global Warming MAY still be out.
It does sound good though!
Spudbob on February 16 at 1:47 p.m.
Lots of comments but only one person (deacon46) has had an opinion about driving down an otherwise clean street and running into snow that has been blown out into the travelway.
Anyone else got a problem wit dat?
Ed Byrnes on February 16 at 3:29 p.m.
Spudbob,
I don’t have that problem because of my vehicle and tires, though I would not be surprised if others legitimately do.
Ed
Ron_the_Cop on February 16 at 4:00 p.m.
OK I’m somewhat with Doug on this and the ice berms the City leaves in your driveway because they let the old equipment attrit and or did not replace that had boots/drop grates to keep the res driveways clear. Of course there is a downside it takes more time.
I can see the point re private snow plow contractors pushing large amounts of snow into the street.
Yeah I get the point about berming the center of the Downtown Streets HOWEVER once it stops snowing the berms should be removed quickly. If I had a bus Downtown I’d be P/Od about the berms. Of course we need to keep the parking meters clear. I’ve heard from the old timers the City used to scoop up the snow in trucks and dump it in the river but of course the snow is now contaminated and is not fit for the river:-)
I live at the end of a cul de sac. I practice offensive snowblowing and clean the cul de sac so there’s no snow to berm my driveway with. Of course I think there is an ordinance about doing this on City property.
My response of course if someone from the City tried to tell me to stop would be get screwed and or rouse the rift raft to march on City Hell with snow shovels in hand:-)
EDD Head on February 16 at 7:09 p.m.
Well thank you, to the Cowley Enterprises, which have at least consistently maintained that Spokane Main Mayorship is always supposed to be corrupt, for my first reading of it, in Feb of 2006, to this current Feb of 2012. The stories by journalists, are even quite well done. However, this one, Doug Clark story, has made me aware, that some reporters are truly involved persons, in comedic work, and I was not aware, that the Cowley Enterprises, permitted the Entertainment Section, so close to the Mayor’s section. My current perspective, is that, Mayor (current) Condon, is also, respectively and ex-U.S. Military person, of some high regard, and potentially, may be one for keeping “lists” of whom opposes and whom favors. Currently it is not illegal to make lists, on Twitter, and Facebook, and possibly in Spokane, WA.
The current trouble, may generate from the 2009 Obama election, of how it became possible for a democratic process to end up making dictatorial health care law, and in which such current elected officials, still believe it IS LAW, and the Supreme Court has held them in contempt, and said that it is not law. Now, they are keeping “lists” on whom opposes them, and whom supports them.
This apparently ludicrous jibe toward “weird law” of snow to the streets, could potentially fall into a strange category of “lists” of supporters and opposers, even though the intended puns, were only for laffing it up, current article.
However, seriously, look at this possibility, between our democratic freedoms here in Spokane WA, and this law. If the residential of the Cowley Enterprise group “snow” happens to fall from the roof to the street, will they receive a ticket for $52 bucks per time per time, or nothing if they are not on a “list”. If a homeowner property happens to have snow fall into the street from a drift pile of “plowed snow”, will the $52 fine be toward them, also, or specifically, does the law, specifically mean, “hand thrown”(as in intentional) and if so, to what age group, up. So, here is another problem. The FBI comes in and tries to reform apparently, the Spokane Police, and almost in spite, of this, a potential weird little law comes into being. Will this be the new abuse of Police? We fine you $52 bucks for throwing Snow into the Street. FBI comes back, and arrests overzealous police for doing their work, next major creates next disaster.
Somewhere, this temptation to do this leetle next irritating leetle thing, has got to just stop, before it gets started, by those which make the law.
I hope that Mayor Condon and the Spokane Police work out well with the City, and I hope all goes well for the career of Doug Clark, also.
Thank you for making free world comments, available, at this newspaper, online. 02-26-2012.
mary1958 on February 16 at 7:39 p.m.
Very funny Doug Clark. The concrete snowmountains from hell in our driveway I think is what really upsets us the most. Let’s see I’m shoveling because I am required to by law, disabled need to get around, nobody should walk in the street on such a nasty day, (keep reminding myself)–––Oh yeah! It’s just SNOW folks!
I think that the city should allow handicap plow tags to be posted at the end of the driveway for those that qualify. I don’t qualify yet but a couple more years of making sure I do my civic duty and I may have a free pass–-can’t I?
PROFINTOX on February 16 at 9:49 p.m.
EDD Head — umm, has someone been snorting a little snow perhaps prior to doing a blog posting??
I do wonder though if they could look into get boots/drop gates back in place — I think perhaps they have underspent enough this year given the money budgeted for snow removal this year to look at this. That would help at least regarding the driveway issue. Sure, it would take longer for a full city plow, but really, I think people whine way too much about that. They want everything cleared immediately when a large snow dump happens and that just is not reasonable. Certianly there are areas where they can tighten things up, but a lot of people gripe just because they want it all, want it now and do not want to go out of the way for anything themselves. Or they just have to have something to gripe about.
Regarding clearing the sidewalks, I must say I get irritated when people shovel/blow it into the streets when their yard their yard borders the sidewalk and so is just as close as the street is (regarding the sidewalk). Is it any easier to shovel or blow it to one side than the other in that case? Seems to me that is just someone deciding to be a D-bag because they are angry about having to do it at all.
Finally, regarding the older and disabled people, well, I guess I just live in a decent neighborhood. We know who these people are and there is always someone who jumps in and helps those people free of charge. There needs to be more of this. If you are physically fit yourself, it gives you some exercise and frankly, it makes you feel good just doing the favor.
mary1958 on February 17 at 8:14 p.m.
What I would also like is for them to plow the major arterials up the south hill immediately. It took me two and a half hours to get home the night of that last snow. Thor/Ray was backed up and stopped. (No way I can get up if I have to stop). Altamont had been plowed two hours before I got there but I can’t get to my house up the uphill slopes of the side streets that are unplowed so I had to go to Perry. Perry was backed up and stopped due in part to the stop sign that someone needed to have at the top of Perry at the BLVD. I tried but about at about 12th had to do a bat turn in the middle of the street to get out and go back down to level ground. Monroe is impossible and Grand has too many stops if not completely plowed. I drove around a lot until Thor/Ray cleared and I could get a running start. Plow those arterials please.