Now that we have all given in to the fact that we’re forced to live in a slush pit for a majority of the year, let us turn our anger to a target more worthy and less abstract than Mother Nature: the property owners who refuse to clear the snow and ice from their pathways. According to the Times, the NYC Department of Sanitation has issued almost 40,000 tickets across the five boroughs this season for failure to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice. The Bronx had the most tickets for its size, racking up over 10,000; Brooklyn has received 14,000 and Queens 13,000, while fancy Manhattan has only gotten 1,800. Many of the tickets were issued for properties that are in foreclosure, or are boarded up with no clear owner. Still, those icy sidewalks make for treacherous conditions, particularly for children and the elderly. As one Bronx resident put it, “It’s dangerous, and it has to be cleaned up.”
