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Comment by david_b | Hacker News Reader

-- strict adherence to rules and procedures in aspects of life that most cultures don't care about (clear your sidewalk of snow and ride your bicycle only on the correct side of the sidewalk, for example).

Not very good examples:

--When someone falls in front of your house it is your responsibility (not an 'act of god' as it says in english law) - you can get sued for that.

--As an adult you can't ride on the sidewalks - if you want to, that particular piece of sidewalk has to be marked as a bicycle path (which makes sense considering the high difference in speed between pedestrians and cyclists). In reality nobody cares about bicycle paths so you get an obstacle course of trash cans, cars (and their doors) and pedestrians...

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Your first point basically matches mine - in a lot of other countries, it is an act of God. Only in central European countries is it considered to be the responsibility of the home owner. After all, if you don't have power over that sidewalk, why should you have responsibility over it? Unless, of course, it works out as best for the society...

Germany has something like the absolute best set of bicycle lanes of any country in the world, with the possible exception of the low countries. That you are still unhappy about the way that people treat them is a very strong indication of my point ;-) Come look at the bike lanes in Spain, France, the US or the UK, instead.

In USA it is also your responsibility. No, it is not an act of GOD for the simple fact that the fall a lot of times is caused by a damaged sidewalk. Fixing up the sidewalk is always the owner's responsibility. At least that is the case in New York City.

Chicago too. And the landowner can also be be ticketed by the police for not clearing his snow.

It seems like the OP is from Scotland, where snow rarely falls and when it does, it doesn't stick around. I wonder if snow removal laws are more a matter of climate than culture.

Yeah as a Canadian, pretty much all cities can fine you if you don't clear your snow with in 24 hours. Ironically I just got back to Canada from Dresden yesterday and I didn't think much of the German efforts to clear their sidewalks.

So what happens if you're out of town for a few months and it snows hard in front of your property? How are you supposed to deal with that, or even know how badly it's snowed, while you're away?

You simply commission a company for doing that... In the countryside neighbours might help each other

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