Who can blame them?
Anyone who has felt that neck-wrenching, body-twisting pull of gravity as their feet shoot out from under them on an icy sidewalk knows the stages of ice-rage.
First comes the self-blame. I should have seen that icy patch. I should have worn crampons. I should have walked on the road. I should have just stayed home and ordered in pizza.
Then comes the furtive glances to see if anyone has taken a video of you as your arms pinwheeled wildly failing to keep you from landing like a sea bass on the sidewalk.
Then comes the feeling of outrage. The feeling of being ambushed – unfairly and cruelly.
Could the homeowner not have shovelled the sidewalk, sparing you both the physical and mental pain? How can anyone be so inconsiderate?
You scramble to your feet and consider suing someone, taking down the house number and searching windows to see if anyone is home. You might just go up and give the homeowner a piece of your mind.
But you don’t. Instead you limp home and phone the city to complain.
Well, you’re not alone, as our front-page story reveals. This winter the combination of snow, freezing rain and sub-zero temperatures has created the perfect storm, pitting neighbours against neighbours on suburban sidewalks.
The Good Samaritans among us – and there are many, thankfully – have been out shovelling not only their own sidewalks but their neighbours’ sidewalks as well. Some folks are even shovelling streets.
But some are quick to throw figurative snowballs with rocks in them at everybody who has failed to clear their walkways.
Few seem to think there might be good reasons. Bad backs, heart conditions, poor balance. Things that some people just don’t want to reveal.
“Fine them!” we cry.
For sure, some folks are just thoughtless idiots, but many are just not able to shovel or pick-axe what has become cement-like layers of ice.
Understandably, in the Lower Mainland, we haven’t developed good systems for working through this stuff. You can’t even seem to find anyone to hire to do the job.
May we suggest this as a great fundraiser for some sports groups? We promise we’ll spread the word if someone steps up.
So, be gentle with each other. Don’t assume someone is thoughtless until you offer to help them and get a door slammed in your face.
If we can’t survive icy sidewalks, what the heck will we do when there’s an earthquake? Oh, and by the way, there’s more snow on the way.
