Sunday, February 07, 2016

Uncleared sidewalks in Westbard area of Bethesda

Several corners and crosswalks remained blocked by mounds of snow on Ridgefield Road and Westbard Avenue. They include the west side corners at Ridgefield and River Road and Ridgefield and Westbard, both in front of the vacant Manor Care nursing home.

The former spot is pictured above. Along the grass to the left of the curb cut and snow pile, where you might think able-bodied people could at least walk around it, is actually a deep gash in the lawn that makes it unsafe to traverse. It might have been created by truck trying to make the difficult turn there (but don't tell Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson that, he says it's no big deal). Of course, if you're in a wheelchair, you can't access this sidewalk at all from the crosswalk.

The sidewalk along Ridgefield on the Westwood Center II side is fully cleared between River and Westbard.

An entire stretch of sidewalk along Westbard remains uncleared between Ridgefield and the Westwood Shopping Center property. On the other side of the driveway entrance into the shopping center (below the staircase that leads down to Westbard Avenue), another large mound blocks full access to the otherwise-cleared sidewalk behind the shopping center.

Snow stopped falling around 8:00 PM on January 23 - two weeks before this photo was taken. Once again, Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer's vaunted sidewalk shoveling law has failed.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why are you whining to us? Report it to 311 and it's investigated within 1 business day.

Anonymous said...

What exactly does the Planning Board have to do with a gash in the lawn?

Anonymous said...

@9:07am Anderson said there is no need to change that intersection to make it easier for trucks to turn into it.

As someone who has witnessed many Giant tractor trailers struggle with it, I'd disagree.

Anonymous said...

8:11am journalists report; that's what they do

Anonymous said...

So why doesn't list the names of the properties that have not cleared the snow on their sidewalks?

Robert Dyer said...

3:28: I did - Manor Care, and Westwood Shopping Center. The portion between the shopping center and Ridgefield runs alongside a single-family home property.

Anonymous said...

So how come the homeowner is exempt from snow shovel shaming?

Unknown said...

Nice blog. Enjoyed alot to read it. I must say it is very good.


home health care Doylestown
Home Care Montgomery County
Senior Care Main Line

Anonymous said...

6:06: If a plow leaves a huge pile of snow blocking not only the sidewalk but also the crosswalk I wouldn't expect the residents of the nearest house to shovel that; they should (IMHO) clear the sidewalks from the snow that fell or was the result of their own driveway clearing.
So, Mr. Dyer, who do you think would be responsible for the plowed piles of snow? Does the law cover this?
Thanks!