Now that summer is here, the Arlington County Board has finally gotten around to passing an ordinance requiring local property owners to clear the sidewalks after a snow storm. This begs the question: what took so long? Although the blizzards of this past winter were once-in-a-century record-breakers, Northern Virginia still gets some snow most every year. Arlington County has become a busy urban center over the past few decades, so how did keeping sidewalks clear escape the board’s attention until now?
The timing of this announcement on a day when temperatures peaked in the mid-90’s is comical, but also serves as a reminder of the county government’s slow and inadequate response in the days following the blizzard. Who can forget the snow-plow hotline to report streets that still had not been cleared that sent Arlington residents straight to voice mail?
