I understand why the city wants you to keep your sidewalks clean and sanded, and I don’t have a problem with it.
Threatening to fine you or have contractors clean city sidewalks at my expense is something I do have a problem with though. The City of Edmonton has a bylaw that means you have to keep your sidewalk clean or you’ll be fined $100. They’ll warn you and then fine you, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll clean it and put it on your tax bill.
Cleaning your own sidewalk will save the city money and God knows they have enough trouble with the roads, they don’t need to add sidewalks into the mix.
I think the City of Edmonton would have an easier time selling this idea if they did a better job cleaning the roads and keeping them safe. I find it amazing that in a city that has winters like we do that the roads here can be so appalling. It’s called moral high-ground.
And don’t tell me it’s because the city is so big and has so many roads. Whose fault is that?
I think that having the crews actually learn how to clean snow properly would be really helpful. I was looking out my window one day when I noticed four graders going up and down my street. I swear that they must have made three or four passes each and still didn’t clear the street properly.
I grew up in Prince George, B.C., and they knew how to clear streets. I’m sure they would love to do some consulting work with the City of Edmonton about how to clear streets quickly, efficiently and, most of all, effectively.
I don’t know what the city’s snow clearing budget actually is, but it doesn’t matter. I am positive they could do a better job with the resources they have if they worked more efficiently.
God help us if they call out the army like they did in Toronto.
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1 comment
John says:
Mar 24, 2009
I agree with you 100%. I sat in my living room and watched them muster 7 dump trucks, 3 pickup trucks, three graders and two snowblowers for 3 hours. Then they did one pass in each direction, leaving about 30% of the snow banked at the curb.
That snow is now a puddle about 3 ft deep in front of four of our houses. We can’t get our cars in our driveways. The city’s response to this problem is, “Unless it is a health hazard or safety hazard it will have to wait for the sewers to clear.
They sent an engineer out to look at it. He said it wasn’t an emergency. I asked how many blocks from his house he parks his car?
Oh well, when it snowed yesterday I just shovelled the sidewalk snow into the lake.