Icy Sidewalks

Editorial

Thank you Michael for speaking on this perennial topic.  I believe I am correct in saying the City bylaw for snow and ice  removal on sidewalks,  applies only to businesses.  There is however an expectation that out of courtesy to all other walkers, home owners will clear the sidewalks in front of their properties.  After Councillor Warner tackled this subject for Willowbrook Estates at a recent Council Meeting there seems to be a better understanding of responsibility on their part and their sidewalk has been completely cleared.  I do believe I also heard, at a recent Council meeting that Mayor Stetski has asked for this issue and the bylaw to be revisited.

It would be a shame in my view, that bylaw enforcement must be enacted just because common decency is lacking in some.  There are areas such as 7^th Avenue where I have been able to walk for quite some time – the snow was cleared by nearly 100% of residents and what is usually more important for safety, sand or an ice melt was also distributed on the sidewalk.  At the very least, if homeowners cannot clear the ice, a non-slip material could be spread over it.  11^th Avenue, my main route to downtown is clear as of January 14^th except for the sidewalks in the 300’s block where I must take to the road.  Route finding must be treated as a game and indeed I find, in common with the local game, I must walk in the road with them by necessity.

To be fair, it is not always easy for some to keep their sidewalks clear - working, physical ability, shady areas all make it more difficult but there are ways around those things.  As I play my route finding game I try to come up with ways of solving this perennial problem.  Apart from residents taking their responsibility seriously and doing what they can, I think it might sometimes be up to the pedestrians themselves.  I don’t wish to carry a bucket of sand with me wherever I go and I do not wish to stop walking but the thought has often arisen that if a garbage bin of sand was available I could get the sand and spread it myself.  If homeowners were to sweep the road in front of their residence in the spring and place the grit in a garbage bin at the edge of the sidewalk once icy conditions existed, an appropriate material, no purchase necessary, to avoid dangerous conditions would be at the ready for both homeowner and passerby to use if necessary. 

Current City bylaws do not always work due to lack of enforcement so I have to wonder whether extending snow and ice clearing into a bylaw would be any different.