RICHMOND, Va. -- If you own property bordering a public sidewalk, the city said you should have a snow shovel. According to local government, it's the responsibility of every home and business owner to make sure the sidewalks are clear of snow. Yet, on Tuesday, a good 15 hours since the snow quit falling, it was clear that not everyone--including the city -- was obeying city code.
Esther Ridley has lived in Richmond for more than two decades, but she hasn't always called the city home.
"I'm a country girl," Ridley exclaimed.
And Ms. Ridley takes pride in her home, both inside and out.
"I keep my front clean where I live at," she explained.
The Richmond resident showed CBS 6 Tuesday afternoon just how she spent her morning digging out from Monday's snow.
"I came out here about 10 (a.m.) and started getting some of it off," she said. "I had to bring my trash out and make room for the mail carrier to come."
She was proving it's not just the postman who works in rain, sleet and snow. With her furry-baby Spunky watching and her pink bedroom slippers on, Ms. Ridley was shoveling snow from the sidewalk just outside her home.
Ms. Ridley was following an ordinance that gives home and business owners six hours to clear sidewalks after the snow stops falling; or if the snow stops falling overnight, they have until 11 a.m. the following morning. Despite the mandate, CBS 6 found a mixed bag while driving around Tuesday. From sidewalks in Carytown to those adjacent to the city-owned John Marshall courthouse, there were several thick blankets of snow.
"In this time of frame we have to do what we have to do to get by, even though the city ain't doing what they say they were going to do," said pedestrian Govan Crosson Jr. The Richmond father was forced to take a different path in order to see his children in ICU at VCU Medical Center.
"I just had to walk down the street, the sidewalks are real messed up and hectic right now," Crosson explained.
Treacherous travel for a Richmond mother as welll, as she also found herself walking in the street.
"Yes, that makes me very angry because I have four children, so that's not very safe at all," she said.
Violating the snow removal ordinance is a Class 4 misdemeanor, which could result in a maximum fine of $250.
