Tales of the plow and shovel

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D.C. Council members Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) recently introduced a bill to impose a $25 fine on property owners who don't shovel their sidewalks after a snowfall. Before passing this bill, the council should consider that the worst offender in this regard is the District itself.

Everywhere I walked last Sunday, I saw sidewalks that had been cleared of the previous day's heavy snow by the private efforts of adjacent landowners. The only sidewalks that hadn't seen even a single swipe of a solitary shovel were those of the Taft Bridge on Connecticut Avenue; they were packed with snow on both sides.

Those sidewalks, naturally, belong to the city.

Before the District goes after private landowners for not shoveling sidewalks, it should get its own house in order.

Jonathan Siegel, Washington

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Howard County's Live Snowplow Tracker is very useful for planning your day after a snowstorm. Leave it to someone such as Matthew Baynes of Elkridge [letters, Feb. 10] to whine about it. As of 9 a.m. Thursday, after Wednesday's blizzard, his neighborhood had been plowed within 500 feet of his home, while us "rich folks" out here in Highland had not been plowed within a half a mile. Not every street can be plowed at once.

Thanks are owed to the hard workers who are clearing our roads and keeping us safe. Meanwhile, enjoy the weather and time with your family. That is what is important.

Richard Kolodrubetz, Highland