Initial Effort to Increase Fine for Not Shoveling East Providence Sidewalks Fails

An effort to increase the penalty for people who don't clear their sidewalks after a snowstorm was defeated Monday night.

East Providence Mayor Bruce Rogers had requested a change to the city's ordinance on removing snow from city sidewalks. The new version would have increased the maximum fine for not clearing sidewalks after a storm from up to $10 to $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense and $200 for a third offense.

Rogers said he thought the city needed to "put some teeth" in the ordinance, particularly for business owners who repeatedly have not cleared their sidewalks, despite warnings.

The issue arose this year after a mother and two children were hit by a car on Pawtucket Avenue while they walked in the street after a storm because the sidwalk hadn't been cleared.

Rogers also pointed out that the city had set up a volunteer group to assist elderly and handicapped people who need assistance in getting their sidewalks cleared. Residents can also call a snow hotline (435-7751) for assistance.

The city had also sent out a mailing reminding residents and business owners about the need to shovel sidewalks, which the city's director of public works, Steve Coutu, seemed to have gotten some results.

Councilman Michael DiGioia said, however, that he couldn't support the increased fine. He pointed out that East Providence has one of the highest rates of elderly residents in the states.

"I do not feel we should sanction and penalize people during this tough economic time," he said.

Councilman William Conley asked Coutu if there was any evidence from other towns and cities that an increase in the fine resulted in people clearing their sidewalks sooner.

Coutu said that different cities and towns have a range of fines but he didn't have evidence that the increased fines caused additional compliance.

"There's no easy answer," he said.

Conley also pointed to a newspaper article that outlined the number of heart attacks deaths from shoveling. He described increasing sanctions for something when you don't know what else to do as a "knee-jerk reaction."

Rogers and Assistant Mayor Thomas Rose voter to defer the matter to work on it. Conley and DiGioia voted against that. Councilwoman Katie Kleyla had already left the meeting because she was sick.

Because the vote was 2-2, the resolution did not pass, but it could be brought up again in a different form, Rogers said.