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Tsk: Boston tickets gas-pipeline company for not shoveling sidewalks in West Roxbury
By adamg on Sun, 01/08/2017 - 3:36pm
A roving UHub reporter noticed a new splash of green on the gate to Spectra Energy's new metering and regulating station at Grove and Washington streets in West Roxbury this afternoon.
On closer inspection, it proved to be a Boston ticket for failing to shovel the sidewalks along the company's property - the short stretch along Centre and the much longer stretch along Grove Street - which this afternoon were completely covered in snow, unlike the driveway into the site, which had been cleared to the asphalt.
So now, like John Kerry before them, company officials are on notice that Boston requires sidewalks along your property to be made walkable after a snowtorm.
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Comments
Bwahahahahaaaa!
I love this!!
Can't even maintain their property
And they expect the public to feel safe with explosive gas next to a quarry.
Tickets in Hyde Park as well...
I saw the city ticketing business in the outer limits
of Hyde Park ave as well. Past the asphalt plant.
That was at 1pm this afternoon
You'd think
They would at least try to be a good neighbor (the threat of an explosion notwithstanding).
Come on, Spectra Energy. At least try.
Same as the last couple of years
We've had the same problem ever since they bought that property. I wonder if they will pay the ticket.
How much time
I thought you had 24 hours after a storm to do your shoveling. I don't remember; we're not homeowners any longer.
3 hours
from the end of snowfall, or from sunrise, per a Tweet from the city earlier today.
Taking bets
1. The city quietly makes it go away and it never gets paid.
2. They turn paying it into a massive PR spectacle, playing the part of "humbled, good neighbor."
That's some site monitoring
That's some site monitoring you got there, Spectra.
Where's the care and concern after a snowstorm, with the gas going on tomorrow and all?
Oh, that's right, YOU DON'T CARE.
Um, sidewalks are PUBLIC property
Forcing PRIVATE concerns to maintain PUBLIC property is nothing more than extortion and the City FAILING to properly do its work. Oh, but it's the most practical way to clear sidewalks you say. Fine, then perhaps we should apply that mode to the actual streets. Require residents and businesses to plow the portion of the street in front of their houses and stores.
And the "OMG, the pipes are going to blow up because they can't keep OUR sidewalks clear" argument is ludicrous.
Um, you can go fight City Hall then
Because it can and does issue tickets all the time to people who don't shovel their sidewalks. You might have even heard about how the city wants to increase the fines for not shoveling to $1,500 per incident.
Funny thing is
Who tickets the city when they don't do their job? Last time I looked none of the sidewalks at Billings field were shoveled either. Have to call every damn time, especially on the Bellevue St side. Last check this afternoon they still weren't done.
Who tickets the city when
Who tickets the city when they don't do their job?
Nobody. The government is above the law, as you'd expect.
Every year there are battles over clearing sidewalks owned by various State entities such as the MBTA, DCR, MassDOT, the State itself, and the City. And things end up not getting shoveled because they all point at each other. And course the City can't ticket these other entities.
Wow, that Spectra PR flack is wicked angry.
n/t
You're missing the economy of scale argument
One way or the other, at the end of the day the property owner is clearing both the sidewalk and the street, either by doing it himself, by hiring someone else to do it, or by paying taxes to the city who, in turn, hires someone else to do it.
For the actual street, there's a huge and obvious economy of scale in centralizing it: collecting taxes and dispatching a fleet of plow trucks.
For the sidewalk, which is usually cleared by hand shoveling or by small snowblower, that economy of scale doesn't really exist: it's far more efficient in most cases to have the property owner take care of it directly than it would be to collect taxes and hire an army of shovelers, supervisors, HR staff, etc.
Other cities do it. They
Other cities do it. They typically use little bobcat-like machines that make quick work of it and do a much better job than a manual shovel. I can't believe there isn't an economy of scale there. Not to mention that it creates a uniform width to the path, making life easier on people with wheelchairs. And it might even provide an incentive to have smooth, level sidewalks without random tripping hazards!
.
.
Where are you from?
How long does it take to accustom yourself to local norms?
Do you still complain when someone puts milk and sugar in your "regular" coffee?
Why is it ludicrous?
Keeping sidewalks clear is basic upkeep that is legally mandated. It's worrisome that they can't even follow easy laws and care very little about the safety of the pedestrians around them. If keeping on of snow in New England is beyond them, why should we trust them to prevent leaks and explosions?
Just in time! According to
Just in time! According to the best information we have, the National Grid plans to accept gas from the West Roxbury Lateral into their Boston delivery system starting tomorrow (Monday, January 9th). Despite the fact that Spectra has yet to satisfy the regulatory requirement to brief first responders on emergency preparedness, despite the official objections of our Senators, our Congressman, and state and local city officials, and despite ongoing legal action against this project, the West Roxbury segment of the Spectra AIM project is set to go live tomorrow, bringing a real and present danger to the residents of West Roxbury for gas that we don't want and we don't need.
#StandWithMary Monday, January 9 from 8-9am 10 Grove Street, West Roxbury
Let's show Spectra and National Grid that we will never give up, never give out and never give in until we shut this down.
Bring your own shovels!
Bring your own shovels!
Seriously, though. I bet it is kind of hard to get normal people to stand around for a cause when the organizer is trying very hard to sell everyone on the idea that the place they will be standing around at contains a "clear and present danger".
Has anyone done a candlelight vigil bit yet? Sssssssssssssssss.......
What do you care?
You don't live in the city (judging from your screen name) and you won't have a home before too long if all this senseless combustion continues.
Same Fines?
Are the fines given to commercial businesses the same as for residential? Seems like they ought to be. Otherwise yeah I'm sure Spectra is really hurting from that 100$ slap on the wrist.
$200
Fines for snow
Anyone know if the area around the commuter rail is shoveled? The T (or Keolis or whomever) never bothered with LaGrange street during the mega storms two years ago.
Thanks. That's an absurdly
Thanks. That's an absurdly low amount. Probably as to not ding small businesses, I would guess, but for a company like Spectra it's probably saving them money over having somebody come in and clear. Absolutely ridiculous.
Highland is clear
As usual, they put down tons of salt, rather than bother to push a shovel, but at least it is safe to walk on.
So (tens of?) thousands of
So (tens of?) thousands of homeowners in the city haven't shoveled their sidewalks, but the Righteous Brigade snarks at a single company - because, you know, they make money! Teach them a lesson - free gas for the peepul!