Streets, snow, ice and some advice
Published Tuesday March 31st, 2009
Yesterday's storm has proven that we aren't out of the grip of winter quite yet, even in the waning days of March. So this week, we asked Community Triple Take panelists this question: What advice, input or comments would you offer city and provincial crews for next winter as they keep our roads and sidewalks cleared of snow and ice?
***
I've mentioned before in my contributions to this column that I am a walker.
To and from class twice a week and to work four or five days a week in all kinds of weather means I see the streets at the best of times - like last week when they were just a little wet from the melt.
I've also seen them at the worst of times - like the storm the Monday before Christmas through which I foolishly trudged to deliver a grad school application, only to discover that there was no sidewalk to be seen along the top of Regent Street towards the mall.
Obviously the latter example is a bad one, far from the average winter weather, and to be fair, since I don't drive often, I can't make a well-informed assessment of what the roads were like in general this year.
The sidewalks between Windsor and upper Regent streets are more my area of expertise, and I did notice that there seemed to be a lot less sand and salt out than I recalled from previous years.
Maybe I'm wrong, but the walk up Regent seemed a lot more precarious than the walks from my parents' home on the other side of town (the other place where I have lots of experience walking in winter) in the last two or three years.
Again, I'm not an expert on this kind of thing, so maybe in high traffic areas, salt and sand get tracked away more than in suburban areas like my parents' neighbourhood.
I can imagine it only gets more troublesome when Fredericton's series of thaws and freezes starts in March and Regent Street spends half its time split between being a miniature river and an ice slick.
The packed snow on the sidewalk isn't as much an issue for me; if anything, it provides a little extra traction if you have boots with good treads.
The only time snow on the sidewalk really becomes a problem is when it's piled up at a crosswalk, blocking your way to the street.
The thought of slipping into the Prospect/Regent intersection from that little hill of snow was a bit of a concern at times. I assume that the simple addition of some extra salt or sand might be a help to drivers as well as pedestrians.
Basically, as much fun as it may have been when I still owned snow pants, in future winters I'd prefer to spend less time on my butt sliding down a hill that used to be sidewalk. It's just not the same without a GT Racer.
Kerys Llewellyn is a university student and retail employee from Fredericton.
***
I personally don't have much to worry about when it comes to well-plowed roads.
I sit with my tea, I watch the plows go by, hoist my mug in thankful salute and then I tell the kids, "Hey, get ready, there is school today!"
They, on the other hand, mutter under their breaths that there should be a law that if one snowflake falls, schools should be closed. My family's snow blower is revved and ready for me to supervise from inside.
I grew up out west, in wimpy, sooky Vancouver. Snow there slayed that city. Two inches? Screams of "save the children, close the schools!" were heard on the radio call-in shows.
Then some wise, transplanted East Coaster would call in, laughing himself silly: "You people cannot function. Where I grew up in New Brunswick, this was nothing. Get a life and a shovel."
Now it's a different story. We measure the intensity of a storm by how many times the plow comes by in a day.
Good friends of ours live out in Hanwell and were extremely frustrated to learn that their main artery - you know, the only way to and from town - was downgraded to secondary status.
So they weren't plowed as soon as they would have hoped, in order to get to work.
Since this is an opinion of mine and theirs, I am saying that their road should be a primary priority. Plow Hanwell sooner.
Another friend lives on Westmorland Street. I was on my way to the Victory Meat Market when I caught her shoveling her front steps. She is a woman of a certain age and precarious health (you know who you are, Mrs. Jones) and I quickly stopped her from finishing the job.
Her snow banks were very high, so I told her that if she fell, the only person to find her would be the sidewalk plower.
She said, "Well, they are doing a very good job this year, keeping up with all the snow, and my sidewalks are in good shape."
So as I scolded her and took away her shovel, she assured me that her sidewalk was well ready for an older gal without her usual strength. So on behalf of my dear friend, thank you to whomever it is that keeps her sidewalk safe.
My only suggestion for improving things would be to invent some way to not plow over the nicely done driveways. Or that kid from down the street will make another wad of cash doing the post snow plow driveway cleanup.
Jennifer Major is a mother of four who hopes one day to finish the laundry. She lives in New Maryland.
***
We have just experienced, in the last two years, the return of the old fashion winter.
For almost a decade, Fredericton and the surrounding areas have witnessed milder winters, almost balmy.
Has this new reality been caused by global warming? We're not sure, but one thing we do know is that we were not prepared. And we are still not prepared.
The transportation and works departments, like every other, are affected by costs. And the cost means reacting in such a way that we don't break the budget too severely.
When we have a storm, the plows are out, work commences, streets get opened eventually and side streets have to wait longer. But is this adequate?
Can things be done to improve the cleaning of our streets, the timing of the cleaning of our streets and the sidewalks in particular?
What we must analyze is has the removal of snow been thoroughly efficient for pedestrians?
Have the streets been cleaned so drivers have the visibility and room to navigate the streets safely?
We have seen that snow removal on the busiest of streets has naturally been the priority. And this has been done well as far as our budget allows, but there is a delay on side streets, which are very important.
We plow sidewalks, but we don't seem to return to them to make sure the job has been effective as the storm continues, as wind blows snowdrifts and as ice patches form. There is a lack of followup.
There is nothing more frustrating than when you're walking and find sidewalks inadequately sanded and plowed, covered in ice.
Many injuries result from pedestrians walking on unsafe streets as sidewalks are not considered enough of a priority. We must adopt a policy where a crew goes around after all removals and checks to make certain that the sidewalks are still clear.
Obviously, the funding needs to be re-evaluated in this area for not only safety purposes, but also for personal reasons.
Fredericton has many students who rely on walking daily to attend classes, doing their shopping and getting around in general. Anyone should be able to choose walking over driving without having to worry about sloppy, unsafe sidewalks in order to get around and run errands.
Hopefully the City of Fredericton will realize the need for improved snow removal by next winter, as I suspect it will be just as snowy as this one.
Duncan Noble is a mature student studying political science at the University of New Brunswick.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
