Snow falls in uptown Saint John on Jan. 8, 2020. (Photo: Brad Perry)
As winter continues to make a mess of the city’s sidewalks, some residents are raising concerns over snow clearing efforts.
Councillor David Hickey says snow removal is one of the city’s biggest challenges.
“We’re the largest city in the province by a big margin with a lot of people who are really spread out. Given our obvious financial challenges…we need to be coming up with new and more efficient ways to deal with our snow removal,” he said.
Hickey says as service cuts loom, he hopes the city can find creative ways to maintain and even increase snow clearing efforts.
“There are cities where you’re responsible to clean the sidewalks in front of your house. Now I’m not saying that’s the best option for Saint John, but these are considerations that we need to look at,” he said.
“We need to change our scope a little bit on what snow removal means and how it looks like going forward as budgets have to tighten.”
In response to concerns he’s heard from constituents, Hickey says a lack of proper snow clearing could be resolved through neighbourly kindness.
“We want to encourage citizens to take ownership of the space in front of their sidewalks so that we can work better as a community, as opposed to solely relying on city services. We only have the capacity to cover 60 per cent of our sidewalks,” he said.
Hickey says if specific cuts to snow clearing are introduced, he likely won’t in good faith support them. Instead, he’d like to see the city get innovative and find efficiencies.
For example, he’d like to see the city reassess streets that currently don’t get as much snow service to see if the “street dynamic” has changed.
“More people move in or people leave…and demand and needs change. We need to make sure it’s a priority.”
Servicing Streets And Sidewalks
Currently, the city’s snow removal operates on a priority system, with main roads, emergency routes and highway connections cleared first, and smaller side streets getting cleared last.
Sidewalk clearing also operates on a priority basis, with major retail areas and transit bus stops being serviced first.
The city services 240 kilometres, or 61 per cent of designated city sidewalks during the winter months, which includes snow clearing, sanding, and salting.
City spokesperson Lisa Caissie says that means some sidewalks do not get serviced at all.
Caissie wants to remind people to be cautious on sidewalks during the winter months.
“With the recent rain and swings in temperature in our region…we have seen ice buildup in many areas,” she said in an emailed statement.
“We advise the public to keep safety top of mind and always travel with extra caution, attention and care during the winter months. Motorists should reduce their speeds, ensure they have suitable winter tires, and avoid devices that cause distractions. When travelling on foot, people are reminded to take their time to get to where they need to go, stay alert, and ensure they are wearing suitable winter footwear with traction.”
More details around snow clearing are outlined in the city’s Winter Management Plan. An interactive map is also available online.
