As many a commenter have pointed out, while the District’s roads are mostly in the clear today, sidewalks are a different story. Clearing the city’s roads falls squarely on the District government, while most sidewalks are left to the homes or businesses they are in front of. And for any number of reasons, not every homeowner and entrepreneur does their civic duty, leaving local sidewalks a mish-mash of well-tended walkways to icy patches of death. Both Housing Complex and the Post have outlined the legal responsibilities and liabilities involved in clearing sidewalks — if someone falls on ice in front of your house, they essentially have to prove that you were negligent in order to sue you — while Prince of Petworth has posted his “Sidewalks of Shame” and Greater Greater Washington is taking some large buildings to task for not clearing away snow and ice. The main point for pedestrians is to remain vigilant, and for homeowners and businesspeople to get off their asses and do some sidewalk-clearing. If you can’t, email us, because we’re sure someone who reads the site will happily do the work for a price. Just imagine — Monkeyrotica could be shoveling your walk.