I lived in Boston when I was in graduate school, and Bostonians are notoriously territorial about parking spaces in winter. People would shovel out a space and then try to save it with a lawn chair, bucket or traffic cone. If someone else parked in that spot, you might just get some dirty looks. Chances are good you might get screamed at, bullied, or even beaten up or tires slashed. sometimes they'd shovel the sidewalk but usually not, making it a nasty mess walking to the train.The poor 20-something or other was being paid by the landlady (well prop. manager) next door 50/snowstorm to shovel the entire driveway and walkway. Our homes are right on the main road and the sidewalk is inches from the plows that come by.....idk, like a hundred times a night dumping wet icy snow back on the walkway in droves.
I was like......you can't do this for 50/dollars. (She had a tiny shovel and was out there every hour - all night - digging the pathway out).
Nope, nope, nope. (OTOH, I'm thinking I've found a possible lawn person for the summer lol)
ETA: no one here digs out the sidewalk. The next day they have a mini sidewalk plow that does it for everyone
My point is that the city didn't do squat in terms of snow removal. Of course, that brought out the worst kind of "lord of the flies" instincts in people.