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Riemer sidewalk shoveling law utterly fails again in Bethesda (Photos) Compared to the blizzard promised on the TV, Tuesday's storm was a relative dusting. But walking around downtown Bethesda, pedestrians are finding that Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer's 2014 election stunt sidewalk shoveling law has utterly failed once again. In addition, Riemer's much-touted new "snow portal" snowplow tracker landed with a thud, soundly panned by his constituents after the storm.

This was only a mild storm - imagine what a disaster we would have faced if the actual blizzard had hit us as predicted. Yesterday, pedestrians could be seen sliding and staggering over uncleared downtown sidewalks, including Norfolk Avenue, a major route for commuters walking from Metro to apartments on Battery Lane. In a wheelchair? You're not going anywhere on these sidewalks.

Let's take a walk, remember what Riemer said in his many self-promoting media appearances on his snow shoveling bill, and fact check his results, shall we? These are photos taken more than 24 hours after snow stopped falling:

"I am pleased with
our progress on sidewalk
snow removal, which I
addressed in legislation
in 2014."

- Hans Riemer
"I find that the County
is doing a much better
job clearing snow from

"Urban districts are also
doing a dramatically
better job clearing snow,
allowing businesses and
residents to get back to
usual more quickly."

"I think we've made
significant strides on
the issue of sidewalk
snow removal."

“The goal of this
bill is to make our
county more walkable
in every season.”

"[Riemer's] legislation seeks
to ensure sidewalks
are passable after storms."

- The Gazette, 2014
"In my experience,
private property owners
are acting with more care
and diligence for sidewalk
snow removal. County
education efforts have
made a big impact."


Posted by Robert Dyer at 7:00 AM Labels: Montgomery County Council, pedestrian safety, sidewalk snow removal 
I guess no one reported these properties. Including you.

Hans Riemer may be awesome but he's not psychic.

Did you shovel Mom's sidewalk?
 
This vendetta against Riemer has really gotten tiresome and boring. And in this case, you're confusing legislation with enforcement.
 
7:08: He made big promises, and got a lot of publicity. As a result, he owns the issue and must be held accountable.
 
7:15: Read the report, look at the photos. It's pretty straightforward.
 
If Dyer observes a property that has failed to clear its sidewalk, then stops to take a picture of it, and writes an article about it a day later...

But fails to report the violation to the County, will he be liabile for any pedestrians who fall and are injured there?
 
Looks like you caught the driver of the green Fiat 500 running a red light at the intersection of Norfolk and St. Elmo. (8th photo).

Did you report him/her to the MoCo County Police?
 
7:31: Short answer: No.

7:37: It's hard to tell what's going on when you are taking a picture through a viewfinder/screen. No, I didn't notice until you pointed it out.
 
So, according to anonymous, journalists like Dyer should quietly complain to authorities and not report anything.
No need for investigative journalism I guess..lol.
 
The legislation isn't a bad idea, but it clearly has not been enforced well. I think that it's fair to call out Riemer-- but also to investigate why the requirement is not being enforced. The article would be far more credible if the latter issue were examined.
 
Am I going to have to see the same damn article every time it snows? Of course there will always be some people who don't properly remove their snow; report them to 311 and move on with your life. Grow up, Robert.
 Barwood Sucks said...

We've been told to expect an improvement in sidewalk access, but these photos show that we're not seeing it. Remember, this was a minor snow! Imagine a larger storm.

Dyer isn't complaining, he's trying to improve the system. Those are good intentions!

This is a good heads up...really dangerous walking from Battery Lane to the Bethesda Metro area via Norfolk.
 
8:22: "Am I gonna have to see the same damn article every time? Grow up, Woodward and Bernstein!!!!!!" - Richard Nixon

Sorry, but unlike other media outlets in town, I won't try to normalize our corrupt, inept, and incompetent County Council. Instead, we need relentless fact-checking and investigation, which readers know they can find on this website.

 
The one in need of relentless fact-checking is you, Dyer.
 
It's the media's job to be skeptical and to pushback on the government, in this case it would be the Council.

Stop spending your time criticizing Dyer and do your job in fact checking this Council.
 
8:46: Sounds like you've got some alternative facts, because everybody else is looking at the photographic evidence above, and thinking you are a total nutjob.
 
Can Mr. Reimer take one of his famous bus tours around Bethesda today?
 
Dyer @ 7:24 - Your response indicates that you still don't understand the difference between legislation and enforcement. The point clearly wen right over your head.
 
Dyer's troll goes to the same point everyday:
1. He believes he is Dyer's only reader, therefore every comment not his is from Dyer
 Franz Riemer said...

I'm the one member of the Riemer family that voted for Robert Dyer.
I'll admit it here, for the first time.
 
Dyer takes 3 pics of sidewalks so that proves businesses are as bad as they've always been at clearing snow? How stupid are you?
 
11:32: 3 pics? Your math skills are even worse than your reading skills. Delete your account.
 
The photos show long stretches of sidewalk at key downtown pedestrian access routes covered in snow and ice. Full stop.
 
Nine photos, first four were of the abandoned and partially demolished Steamer's, the remaining five were of four businesses.

Delete your blog, Dyer.
 
I don't quite understand the snark over the Council's recent "bus tour" of Westbard. Seems to me that that holding a Council discussion while making a site visit on a bus is a very efficient way to do business. Also, I don't see what relevance it has to the subject of sidewalk snow shoveling regulations.
 
Bethesda Magazine isn't the media. It's a biased blog.
 
When will "anonymous" end his vendetta against Dyer?
 
@ 7:37 AM - That driver was about to run over Dyer as he crossed St. Elmo, but saw his camera at the last moment.
 
This is despicable! Hire some kid give him 50 bucks to this. I hope if somebody falls they sue him!
 
Dyer got folks moving today. I noticed the Steamers property sidewalks were quickly plowed after Dyer went to press.
Same with the Quincy's and other sidewalks pictures.
Dyer is getting results as usual.
 
So Dyer scrambles around Bethesda looking for any sidewalks that haven't been cleared, takes pictures, fails to report them, then immediately runs back home to another diatribe about how much Riemer sucks.

I'm not a Riemer fan either, but you're ongoing series of hateful rants attacking him is starting to border on psychotic: "Riemer saw trash on the side of the road today and didn't pick it up"

Overall I would say he's a much better person than you.
 
I see you're still tossing out that bogus and defamatory "corrupt" word.
It makes for a cute quotable line.
But completely devoid of truth. All bluster and opinion.
Sad (sick) guy!
 
7:04 AM No need to "scramble". Everyone who walks from Battery Lane into the downtown experienced these terrible sidewalks.
Norfolk is a key pedestrian route.
 
7:04: Is English not your first language? Riemer has boasted and given himself credit for improvements in snow removal that NEVER HAPPENED. Fake news. Some of his delusional quotes are in big print right here on this article. Are you unable to read?

The Post's daily negative articles about Trump "border on psychotic?" Or just when it's Hans Riemer being fact-checked?

Considering I am always factual in my public statements, and don't claim Westbard is "a mile from two Metros," I would say I am the "better person" as far as the political realm is concerned.
 
Your claim that the sidewalk enforcement program cost "$6 million" is not the least bit factual.
 
"So Dyer scrambles around Bethesda looking for any sidewalks that haven't been cleared"--

That didn't take much scrambling (unless you include what it is like trying to stand and walk on those icy, slippery messes that are supposed to be sidewalks).

Pretty sure that anyone that has slipped in the attempt to traverse those sidewalks... was not cursing Mr. Dyer as they fell.

Other cities have it far worse, snow-wise, yet their roads and sidewalks are clear, schools and businesses remain open.
 
They would be if they knew you never called 311, instead you waited a day to publish an article about it.
 
8:10: Yes, it is. The figure I cited was widely reported at the time.

8:18: Wrong. Calling 311 does not get the sidewalk shoveled, but only gives the responsible party a warning or fine.

In contrast, as a journalist, my report caused the sidewalks to actually get shoveled within hours of my article being published. Trust me, the people safely walking or operating their wheelchairs over dry pavement at those locations would be praising, not cursing, Mr. Dyer. And cursing Mr. Riemer for his fake news assertions and self-serving self promotion regarding sidewalk snow removal.

Who's your daddy?
 
"The figure I cited was widely reported was widely reported at the time."

It was "widely reported" as the cost of the ENTIRE snow removal program.

You're a pathological liar and an innumerate idiot.

And you smell bad, too.
 
8:35: Thanks, Mr. First Grade. But you're as wrong as you are childish again. The figure not only includes the additional snow removal costs required, but also for the new online snow portal site (which ended up as a very expensive disaster this week!) and an expensive public relations campaign to promote clearing sidewalks by private property owners (and my report proved that failed, as well). Facts.
 
You've said several times that the Portal is "expensive".

How much did it actually cost?
 
8:43: What it ultimately cost was never revealed to the public, but it was close to a million dollars as budgeted just to develop the website (which you would never guess from its primitive appearance, other than it filling out the rest of the address for you).
 
"[It] was close to a million dollars as budgeted just to develop the website"

Can you provide documentation of this?
 
Damn, damn, damn. If this thread had been up yesterday. Took some time before we had to go live to get in a few chuckles. Good times.
It's like in 5 years going back and reading Trump's tweets, and you're like, yeah, it really was like that. Crazy.
 
9:49: Yeah, kind of like the delusional quotes from Riemer in this article: Crazy, indeed.

"Go live"? Are you pretending you're on the TV news or something? Talk about crazy.
 
I don't know who's worse, you or Spicer. Oh wait it's KAC!
 
Hans riemer is a douche bag
 
An insult right back at me, just like the old days!
Look at you being all assuming and inquisitive.
Get out in the world and you'll see how many ways there are to go live.
But no, I'm not on air. But I plead the 5th on writing copy.
 
12:36: Have never heard anybody say "go live" outside of a broadcasting context. Hopefully, someone so strongly biased in favor of Montgomery County's political cartel is not generating "objective" news content for mass consumption. But given the kid glove treatment white politicians in our region get on radio and tv news, I wouldn't be surprised.
 
Full of assumptions! Live media.
You take a word, run with it, create an entire personality and circumstance. Where do you get the ideas for your fiction?

"Strongly biased in favor of MC political cartel." YOU MADE THAT UP. It is a complete fabrication. You get worse with age. The Napolitano of Bethesda blogging.

Riot Laughs Get out more Remember WIIFM.
 
8:26: Can't make any sense of this rambling word salad. Manic episode diagnosed.
 
Dyer, even I can understand 8:26. Mostly. I think.
They told you they do some kind of live media. That you should stop inventing stories about people. That you've been doing it for a while. That your humor isn't funny. That you have blinders on.

I don't have a clue who or what WIIFM is. But it seems like you should?

Go Blue!!!!!!!
 
"...the kid glove treatment white politicians in our region get on radio and tv news..."

Umm... Dyer... have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Ever?
 
11:27: You're claiming a story that includes actual quotes from Hans Riemer, and then PHOTOGRAPHIC evidence that disproves his statements, is an "invented story?" Please.

Over 10,000 followers on my YouTube channel disagree with your assessment of my humor. Trust me, only you kmow what "WIIFM" and "Go Blue!" mean, but we do know you're a mental patient now replying to your own comments in a separate personality.
 
"Trust me, only you kmow [sic] what "WIIFM" and "Go Blue!" mean..."

Dyer thinks that "March Madness" is a sale at JCPenney.

Also, he has never heard of Urban Dictionary.
 
WTF? Dyer, don't shoot the messenger. I'm "claiming" nothing, only trying to translate.

Hint: I'm a Michigan Fan. They play again Thursday; you should watch! Go Blue!!!!!
