What to do when neighbors won’t shovel snow on sidewalk
Q: Your neighbors won’t shovel the snow on the sidewalk in front of their building. How should you handle this?
A: While there’s not much one can do to prevent a snowstorm from blanketing your neighborhood, there is something one can do to prevent hard feelings toward neighbors who won’t shovel snow: Extend human kindness and connection.
Reach out and extend an introduction if you haven’t yet. Are they elderly, a single parent, disabled or a caregiver for multiple generations? Might they have an erratic work schedule, or work several jobs? Ask if they need a helping hand.
If they mention they’ve been meaning to do the job, offer to help start the process.
Many cities have local snow removal volunteer groups or neighborhood committees that are formed just for this purpose; these may be viable options for your neighbor or others in your neighborhood, especially if aid will be needed routinely.
— Angie Allison, etiquette expert and founder of Daily Protocol
A: It’s always frustrating to encounter someone who doesn’t seem to be putting as much work into something as you are.
I think it’s important to acknowledge here that everyone is different. Even people who live next door to each other can have very different needs, schedules, priorities and amounts of physical and mental bandwidth. While the sight of their unplowed sidewalk might spark valid anger, I’d make space to genuinely consider why they might not be able to shovel.
I think it’s best to shovel it yourself. It’s an act of goodwill. It’s its own karmic reward.