A man with a cane braves the winter mess at Broadway and Wellington.

The thing I love about Chicago winter is that the city keeps going despite the snow and -5 degree temperatures. People are still out and about, walking and biking, and I get to break out my galoshes, which are indispensable in this weather. I think a vibrant street full of people feels all the more vibrant when the sidewalks are covered in snow -- and people don't let it stop them.

Unfortunately, the snow and ice can make it more difficult to get around, and it does stop some people from going out. If I sometimes have trouble getting around as a healthy 27-year-old, then I can only imagine the difficulty for senior citizens and the disabled. That's why it's so important that our sidewalks be cleared of ice and snow. While the city plows our streets, they don't see the necessity in keeping our sidewalks clear. The City of Chicago requires all property owners to clear the snow in front of their own property:

Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant, or other person having charge of any building or lot of ground in the city abutting upon any public way or public place shall remove the snow and ice from the sidewalk in front of such building or lot of ground.

Make sure your property gets shoveled. If it's not your responsibility, you can hold your landlord or condo association responsible. And you can let your neighbors know you appreciate it when they shovel. Visit http://www.thankyouforshoveling.org to request nice thank you cards for free, and drop them off at the responsible businesses and neighboring homes.

Special Service Areas (SSA) and Chambers of Commerce may also provide shoveling service in your neighborhood. SSAs are a special tax levy on an area to fund additional services to improve the neighborhood. If you live in one, like I do, then you pay additional property taxes to fund these services. Often the local Chamber of Commerce will administer the SSA fund. To see if you live in an SSA, see the Chicago Special Service Areas and Provider List (including a map on the left). You can contact your SSA provider to find out if they use your tax money to shovel snow, and if not, why. I contacted my SSA last year to complain about the snow and made the case for why SSA funds should be used for shoveling, and they decided to begin shoveling snow on several streets in my area (SSA #17 Feb. 2007 PDF Newsletter) -- so don't be shy.