Raise your hand (metaphorically, at least; it would look strange to do so while reading the paper in print or online with others around you) if you’ve had to do the bowlegged John Wayne walk this very long winter trying to traverse over patches of sidewalk covered with ice and snow from homeowners or businesses that either made a half-hearted (to use a polite phrase) effort at shoveling or who just hoped global warming would do the work for them.

And raise your hand (again, not literally, but you get the point) if you’ve had to step on the street and around park cars already forced too far in the road from the curbside snow banks so you pretty much have to walk into the flow of traffic because a resident or business just opted not to shovel at all.

And if you can’t raise your hand, even if you wanted to, because your elbow or shoulder is injured from actually falling in these situation this winter, then listen up: Report the problem to the city. There are rules and regulations about shoveling, and there are even fines attached to the violations.

No one wants to be a snitch (or any word that may rhyme with it), but the city can’t realistically be expected to go up every side street and walk every sidewalk looking for evidence of the lazy and liable. Fear of enforcement is what makes us feed the meters and not park in front of the bus stops because we’ve seen the tickets being written. If you don’t report it, they won’t come.

In some cases, it may be a case of an elderly person or someone who, for one reason or another, is physically incapable of shoveling. If that should be the case, bringing it to the attention of an enforcement officer could result in him or her finding someone who might be able to help.

And if you call and call and no one comes, then call us. We may not come with a shovel, but we always love a good story.