Icy Sidewalks A No-No In Elmhurst?

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst residents engaged in a spirited debate on social media in recent days over whether residents should clear their sidewalks after it snows. Some wondered whether a city ordinance required doing so, a discussion that resulted in conflcting answers.

Chicago and some suburbs require residents to shovel their sidewalks. Elmhurst is not among them, but it does mandate businesses in certain commercial districts to shovel their sidewalks. For instance, property owners in downtown must remove snow and ice from sidewalks within a day after snow, sleet or freezing rain ends. Violators can be fined $50 to $500 a day, according to the municipal code.

On the Elmhurst, IL News & Comment Facebook page, resident Mary Aherne Young posted a WGN report that a Chicago alderman was cracking down on unshoveled sidewalks by ensuring homeowners were ticketed. She said if Elmhurst lacks a similar ordinance, it should consider one, saying, "It's bad out there."

Others agreed. One resident said, "My pet peeve also is that the houses where the driveway is shoveled and not the sidewalk (they are not elderly on a fixed income). And if you can afford a $1.4 million house, you can afford to hire a snow removal service. I've been walking in the streets at 6:15 a.m. because sidewalks can be icy."

A woman wrote wrote in response, "I slipped on one in front of one of those $1 million houses on Hill Street last year and ended up with a concussion."

Others disagreed. One woman questioned the idea that she should have to get up earlier to clear a sidewalk so others can walk their dogs and not fence in their yards. And several commenters said some residents are old or in bad health and cannot clear their sidewalks. "How about a vision of not needing a Nanny State to oversee every aspect of our lives?" a man wrote.

In response, commenters said neighbors could help the elderly and disabled. "I know who my elderly neighbors are, and we will always go over and take care of their driveway and sidewalks if another neighbor hadn't already beaten us to it. I think most people do know their neighbors and are often willing to give a helping hand," a woman said.

Some even suggested the city should handle sidewalks all over town, saying taxes are high enough to support such a service. Others said the city lacks the resources to do that.

Two residents in north Elmhurst said they don't have an issue of unshoveled sidewalks. That's because they have no sidewalks in their neighborhoods. As one pointed out, "We are only able to walk in the unsafe streets."