Uber’s Bucktown Office Was Only Business In 7 Blocks That Did Not Shovel Its Sidewalk
(UPDATE 1 P.M.: Workers are out there now shoveling the sidewalk in front of Uber’s office, Hopkins said).
BUCKTOWN — After being shamed over Twitter for not shoveling the snow in front of its Greenlight Hub driver support center along North Avenue, Uber will be “issued a citation and reminded of their obligation.”
That’s what Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said in a tweet to Noble Square resident Brandon Rifkin on Tuesday morning, after Rifkin posted a photo of the un-shoveled sidewalk in front of Uber.
Rifkin, who described the lack of shoveling in front of Uber as “lazy and negligent,” said he was walking east on North Avenue to Stanley’s Fresh Fruits and Vegetables around 7 p.m. Monday when he encountered the unshoveled walkway.
“It’s hard to do it justice in the pictures because it looks like there’s a path from walkers. But there’s so much uneven packed snow and ice,” Rifkin said.
On Tuesday around 11 a.m., this reporter saw a trio of pedestrians gingerly trek through the snow, trying to stay balanced on uneven terrain. The only path available was the one forged by the feet of other pedestrians who’d come before them.
A worker at a manufacturing building next to Uber, where the sidewalk was shoveled and salted, declined to be named but said he and others had noticed the unshoveled sidewalk in front of Uber’s office.
“It would be helpful to at least get a walking path, a little bit of salt. I’ve seen people almost slip and fall,” the neighboring worker said.
The gas station across the street from Uber had shoveled the sidewalk, as had the owners of a vacant building next to the gas station.
In a seven block stretch along the south side of North Avenue from 1401 W. North Ave. to the 2000 block of West North Avenue, every bit of sidewalk in front of every business and home was shoveled.
The city can issue a ticket to home and business owners who do not shovel their walkways. Those who don’t shovel risk a $500 fine — part of an ordinance passed by the City Council in 2016 to clarify earlier language in the city’s snow-shoveling ordinance.
The ordinance requires that daytime snowfall be cleared by 10 p.m. and overnight snowfall to be cleared by 10 a.m. Warnings will be issued before tickets are given.
When asked how he feels about Hopkins’ intention to issue a citation, Rifkin said, “I’m just happy people won’t have to decide between walking in snow up to their shins or trying not to slip and fall into North Ave. No reason a company with a $48 billion valuation can’t figure out basic things like this through their office/community managers.”
Around 10:45 a.m., a receptionist at Uber told this reporter he does not think North Avenue is Uber’s responsibility, since the entrance is off of Noble Street.
On Tuesday afternoon, an Uber spokesperson said they had “dropped the ball” by neglecting to shovel the North Avenue side of the building.
“When it snows in Chicago like it has in the last week, everyone’s responsible for clearing sidewalks and ensuring a safe walking path. We dropped the ball by shoveling Noble St. and not North Ave., but we’re clearing it now and we apologize to our neighbors. We will do better in the future and hope to earn a five-star rating from our community,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The large brick building where Uber’s Greenlight Hub is located, which was formerly home to a carpet store named Carpet World, is at the corner of North Avenue and Noble Street. Though the official address is 1401 W. North Ave., the entrance is off of Noble Street and not North Avenue.
According to county records, the owner of the building and Uber’s landlord is Theodore Wynn, who also owns billboard company Victor Sign Co.
Wynn has not yet returned a request for comment.
For the record, Uber did shovel. Someone had neatly shoveled the walkway on the Noble Street side of the building, just not the more public North Avenue side used by more people, to get to Stanley’s, Home Depot, Local Foods, The Hideout and other spots. See the difference in these two photos.
