TKTKTK
Senior Member
bah, I must have gotten lucky for once. Clean sidewalks all around for me today (can't get off them onto the street though).
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- Thread starter 299 bloor call control.
- Start date
bah, I must have gotten lucky for once. Clean sidewalks all around for me today (can't get off them onto the street though).
lordmandeep
Banned
well one would think there is not much snow as the army was not called but...
it snowed 25 cm downtown
40 cm in Mississauga
33cm in Brampton and Pearson
30 cm in Markham.
Biggest FEB snowfall since 1964...
it snowed 25 cm downtown
40 cm in Mississauga
33cm in Brampton and Pearson
30 cm in Markham.
Biggest FEB snowfall since 1964...
MisterF
Senior Member
I'm sure if you call the city they'll tell you. What happens here is the town shovels the sidewalk and bills the owner for the cost.
Because sidewalks are municipal property.
nfitz
Superstar
Interestingly near my house, the worst offenders aren't the corner lots - some of which have a lot of sidewalk and are all dug. It's some of the narrowest lots, that only have 7-metres of sidewalk.
And why wouldn't we expect homeowners to do it? That's what everywhere else that gets this little snow does!
The pathway from the sidewalk to the steps of my house are municipal property as well. Should I be expecting the city to dig that as well?
lordmandeep
Banned
why would you expect the city to clean it???
This is not the norm anywhere around here even in the burbs...
This is not the norm anywhere around here even in the burbs...
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Maybe property owners should have to shovel out the roads as well.
In Montreal and Ottawa sidewalks are cleared by the municipality. If we are really serious about pedestrian travel then they should have safe and accessible sidewalks for everyone. I am tired of having to tromp over the snowbanks pushed up on the sidewalk by plows cleaning the roads. Should property owners have to shovel all of that as well?
In Montreal and Ottawa sidewalks are cleared by the municipality. If we are really serious about pedestrian travel then they should have safe and accessible sidewalks for everyone. I am tired of having to tromp over the snowbanks pushed up on the sidewalk by plows cleaning the roads. Should property owners have to shovel all of that as well?
Prometheus The Supremo
►Member №41+⅜◄
i agree. and if the reason is that the sidewalks are too narrow to clean by the city, design machines that can do it or expand the sidewalks. it is absolutely impossible to use the sidewalks in the winter if you have a wheelchair or limited mobility. people with these conditions shouldn't have to depend on the will of property owners to clear the way. all it takes is one person to not clean their sidewalk to create a barrier far greater than any mexican wall.
snow is not something new to toronto. they need to design and maintain pedestrian routes better.
snow is not something new to toronto. they need to design and maintain pedestrian routes better.
nfitz
Superstar
Why? I'm not aware of a single municipality that does this.
I've lived in both Montreal and Ottawa as well. They got a lot of snow in the winter. We don't. Even with all the whining this winter, there can't be more than half a metre of snow on the ground. Why create the expense of an unnecessary program?
Tuscani01
Senior Member
So im back in Toronto after going home to Mississauga for the weekend and have to point out that the sidewalks in Mississauga were cleared better than the ones here in Toronto. Its been a few days now and my road here in Toronto is still snow covered, and sidewalks are still not all cleared. In fact, everything is now ice and nearly impossible to clear. My road in Mississauga was down to bare pavement and the sidewalks (including snowbanks that develop at every intersection) are all clear.
Driving around in Mississauga last night I also noticed the roads were full of dump trucks hauling snow away, something desperately needed here where I live in Toronto. My two lane street is now one lane and the street side parking is now a snow bank.
Vaughan was an entirely different story. The GO Bus dropped me off onto a snow bank this weekend. (This was at a YRT stop) I then had to walk over a snowbank to cross the road, and then another snowbank to push the button to cross the road. I gave up on walking along the sidewalks and ended up walking the rest of the way on the road.
Driving around in Mississauga last night I also noticed the roads were full of dump trucks hauling snow away, something desperately needed here where I live in Toronto. My two lane street is now one lane and the street side parking is now a snow bank.
Vaughan was an entirely different story. The GO Bus dropped me off onto a snow bank this weekend. (This was at a YRT stop) I then had to walk over a snowbank to cross the road, and then another snowbank to push the button to cross the road. I gave up on walking along the sidewalks and ended up walking the rest of the way on the road.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Why? It was a tongue in cheek remark.
That's the best answer? A worry about cost? Then why bother plowing the roads?
If one can make an reasonable argument for plowing the roads then one can make a similar argument for plowing the sidewalks. And let me reiterate my point: I am tired of road plows pushing snow up on the sidewalks and making those unplowed sidewalks inaccessible and unsafe. Yeah, we get less snow than Ottawa and Montreal, and they can plow more of it without their cities going bust from the cost.
JasonParis
Moderator
Letter from Rosedale: Did you see a plough? Not me
Posted: February 10, 2008, 10:06 PM by Barry Hertz
Neighbourhoods, Kuitenbrouwer
Rosedale is a mess. Douglas Drive, which winds through the enclave southeast of Mount Pleasant Road and St. Clair Avenue, has just a couple of tire tracks through snow, frozen hard as rock. The ridge between the ruts is high enough to scrape the dickens out of a car.
“I think this is not good,†says Alan Ryder, who lives on Douglas, chipping at snow in his driveway with a shovel yesterday. “It was soft and it iced up. Certain roads they just treat as unimportant. I think they ought to clear the roads. I don’t care if I’m living in Rosedale or Scarborough. I think eventually it should be ploughed.â€
On Thursday night, after Toronto got its biggest one-day snow dumping since 1966, Peter Noehammer, spokesman for the City of Toronto snow-clearing efforts, told me, “We’re nearing the home stretch of our ploughing. We spent our energies today focused on local roads and sidewalks.†He said local roads would be clear of snow by Thursday night.
Clearly, the city failed at that task. I checked out several areas of Toronto yesterday and found thick snow covering side streets, from Parkdale to Riverdale, from Rosedale to the Junction. With the temperature sitting at -13C yesterday afternoon, the slush had hardened to awkward ruts across the city.
The treachery redefines the term “winter sports.†I walked onward to inspect more of Rosedale, slipped on ice in the middle of messy Edgar Avenue and landed flat on my back. I scraped my muffler driving on Tremont Crescent in Don Mills. On Wroxeter Avenue in Riverdale, I and another guy pushed Peter Teelahk’s Mazda into his driveway after he got stuck on the ridge of snow in the middle of the street. He fears for his muffler.
“Every time I come along there’s this horrible scraping sound — metal crashing against ice,†he tells me. “I cringe.â€
“As far as residential streets are concerned, it’s on the back burner,†he adds. Did he ever see a plough?
“Last week, I left the car at home and took The Better Way. I left in the morning and there was snow. I came back in the evening and there was snow. If there was a plough, that was a long time ago. They should come again and pay a visit.â€
A reader, John Winter, who lives on Maclean Avenue in the Beaches, had e-mailed me to complain that city mini-ploughs clear the sidewalks in Rosedale, but not in the Beaches. “One rich neighborhood gets exemplary service. The neighborhood where it is needed most, does not,†he writes.
In fact, I visited Maclean Avenue yesterday and found it was one of the cleanest streets around. In fact, the Beaches seemed far better-tended than Rosedale. On Maclean I met Terry Ferguson, a driver/labourer who’s worked 28 years for the City of Toronto. Using a shovel, he was salting sections of sidewalk with salt from his pickup truck. The city, he explains, shovels and salts for seniors who register on its lists. He’d been at work since 6:30 a.m., had done 150 calls, spreading 3½ truckloads of salt, and planned to work until 5:30 p.m., he said. I asked him how the city might do a better job ploughing side streets, and he shrugged.
“We could’a called in the army,†he said. Mr. Feruguson, who is active in the union, said the city has done its best. “We’re well-organized now,†he said. “I don’t have a lot of respect for management, but it’s starting to come together. They sat down with the workers after the last storm and said, ‘You guys did a nice job.’ â€
It’s going to add up, though: “My pay goes in on Tuesday, and I have 45 hours of overtime for two weeks’ work,†he said.
We’ll all struggle through, of course: Shovelling snow and pushing stuck cars is what makes us Canadian. And all that snow sure looks pretty. Still, I wish the city were more upfront about its limitations. Let’s face it: Toronto is good at lots of things, but a little out of practice cleaning up after blizzards.
Photo of a snow-covered Toronto street by Tyler Anderson for National Post
Posted: February 10, 2008, 10:06 PM by Barry Hertz
Neighbourhoods, Kuitenbrouwer
Rosedale is a mess. Douglas Drive, which winds through the enclave southeast of Mount Pleasant Road and St. Clair Avenue, has just a couple of tire tracks through snow, frozen hard as rock. The ridge between the ruts is high enough to scrape the dickens out of a car.
“I think this is not good,†says Alan Ryder, who lives on Douglas, chipping at snow in his driveway with a shovel yesterday. “It was soft and it iced up. Certain roads they just treat as unimportant. I think they ought to clear the roads. I don’t care if I’m living in Rosedale or Scarborough. I think eventually it should be ploughed.â€
On Thursday night, after Toronto got its biggest one-day snow dumping since 1966, Peter Noehammer, spokesman for the City of Toronto snow-clearing efforts, told me, “We’re nearing the home stretch of our ploughing. We spent our energies today focused on local roads and sidewalks.†He said local roads would be clear of snow by Thursday night.
Clearly, the city failed at that task. I checked out several areas of Toronto yesterday and found thick snow covering side streets, from Parkdale to Riverdale, from Rosedale to the Junction. With the temperature sitting at -13C yesterday afternoon, the slush had hardened to awkward ruts across the city.
The treachery redefines the term “winter sports.†I walked onward to inspect more of Rosedale, slipped on ice in the middle of messy Edgar Avenue and landed flat on my back. I scraped my muffler driving on Tremont Crescent in Don Mills. On Wroxeter Avenue in Riverdale, I and another guy pushed Peter Teelahk’s Mazda into his driveway after he got stuck on the ridge of snow in the middle of the street. He fears for his muffler.
“Every time I come along there’s this horrible scraping sound — metal crashing against ice,†he tells me. “I cringe.â€
“As far as residential streets are concerned, it’s on the back burner,†he adds. Did he ever see a plough?
“Last week, I left the car at home and took The Better Way. I left in the morning and there was snow. I came back in the evening and there was snow. If there was a plough, that was a long time ago. They should come again and pay a visit.â€
A reader, John Winter, who lives on Maclean Avenue in the Beaches, had e-mailed me to complain that city mini-ploughs clear the sidewalks in Rosedale, but not in the Beaches. “One rich neighborhood gets exemplary service. The neighborhood where it is needed most, does not,†he writes.
In fact, I visited Maclean Avenue yesterday and found it was one of the cleanest streets around. In fact, the Beaches seemed far better-tended than Rosedale. On Maclean I met Terry Ferguson, a driver/labourer who’s worked 28 years for the City of Toronto. Using a shovel, he was salting sections of sidewalk with salt from his pickup truck. The city, he explains, shovels and salts for seniors who register on its lists. He’d been at work since 6:30 a.m., had done 150 calls, spreading 3½ truckloads of salt, and planned to work until 5:30 p.m., he said. I asked him how the city might do a better job ploughing side streets, and he shrugged.
“We could’a called in the army,†he said. Mr. Feruguson, who is active in the union, said the city has done its best. “We’re well-organized now,†he said. “I don’t have a lot of respect for management, but it’s starting to come together. They sat down with the workers after the last storm and said, ‘You guys did a nice job.’ â€
It’s going to add up, though: “My pay goes in on Tuesday, and I have 45 hours of overtime for two weeks’ work,†he said.
We’ll all struggle through, of course: Shovelling snow and pushing stuck cars is what makes us Canadian. And all that snow sure looks pretty. Still, I wish the city were more upfront about its limitations. Let’s face it: Toronto is good at lots of things, but a little out of practice cleaning up after blizzards.
Photo of a snow-covered Toronto street by Tyler Anderson for National Post
JasonParis
Moderator
When Toronto's sidewalks turn into ice rinks, it doesn't take long for city council to get a brain freeze
By JOE WARMINGTON
Toronto Sun
Tue, February 12, 2008
It's like a skating rink out there on Toronto sidewalks.
No, really, I am not kidding.
You can skate on many of them. I did yesterday.
To be honest, I felt much safer doing that than walking. It was pure ice and for that you need skates. Watch my video on torontosun.com and you will see for yourself. I even did a little stick-handling with a puck -- but not as much stick-handling as some on city council seem to be doing on this issue.
For me it's a classic case of rink rage.
Once again some of our out-of-touch city councillors huffing and puffing about trying to fine people for not shovelling their sidewalks were nowhere to be found to put a little salt or sand down to protect our children or seniors from being severely hurt.
The truth is, no matter the politics, in many areas the sidewalks are treacherous. Time bombs, actually. I personally saw six people slip and fall on sidewalks yesterday. And I almost fell once myself.
"It happened to me too," said Justin Van Dette, an assistant to Councillor John Parker at city hall. "I was just walking along St. Clair when I slipped. Luckily I landed on my brief case."
PARKING TICKET SYSTEM
Of course, if many down at city hall had it their way they'd not only blame you, but also try to fine you too. Seriously!
"My hope is that we can find a legal way to do this on a more proactive basis," Councillor Joe Mihevc said in a Saturday Toronto Sun story by Zen Ruryk, adding he would like to see "some system similar to parking tickets" implemented.
The great tax collector, Mihevc was said to be "at a conference in Ottawa" yesterday and did not return my call. I don't think Ottawa is far enough away for that to be excusable, but maybe he can get some tips at the Rideau Canal on how to better maintain a skating rink because there are lots around our city right now.
Thanks to a snowfall, a thaw and then a freeze, you have some very dangerous areas out there.
I noticed it down in Riverdale when I was at the Maple Leafs outdoor practice at Withrow Park. Getting to the rink was a real chore and I was teasing the top-notch City of Toronto parks and recreation rink and Zamboni guys -- Steve Boyko, Ron Perkins, David Green, Clyde Preston and Dave Barr -- since the Leafs were so happy with their outdoor skate they should take that machine out and flood the sidewalks too.
As people were leaving that great event, I could tell Councillor Paula Fletcher was not amused at how the conditions were in her ward. We don't agree on much but you can't say she doesn't work hard for her constituents.
"I agree with you," she said, adding she also agrees the idea of fining people for poor sidewalk maintenance is just not logical.
And yet this is the mindset of so many at city hall. They figure the sidewalks are the solely the homeowners' responsibility. But it's actually not true. You dig into this and you'll find that the city actually does plow many city sidewalks.
"We spend $30-million a year on it," said Councillor Rob Ford. "So I don't understand what this is all about. The city is supposed to do it."
Well, in some neighbourhoods at least. Not all is equal, it turns out. It's different from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. "Confusing," is the word Parker used to describe it. "I think we need to clarify this for people."
So as I understand it, only some sections of the city have to take care of their own sidewalks while others have it plowed. But the poor shmucks in the areas who don't have the special sidewalk-cleaning machine are on the hook for maintaining the walkways - but still paying the same taxes as those in the neighbourhoods that do.
Crazy. In fact this winter more than 600 homes have been warned by city staffers and more than 100 have been fined $125. "Any senior will tell you that during a snowfall ... if the sidewalks aren't clear, they feel unsafe walking the street," Mihevc said in Saturday's paper. "It's a matter of public courtesy, community decency for all of us to shovel the snow."
If you are in a union it's a little more lucrative for you, though. It boggles the mind with the taxes people pay, why aren't the sidewalks a city responsibility? But it has to be asked: What happens when there is a section of the street where there are no homes?
Who is going to clear those areas? Well, if yesterday is any indicator, how about nobody?
And the city has no answer for this. It's something that has slipped between the cracks. And that means people are slipping on the ice.
SALT, SAND
Councillor Glenn DeBaermaker, chair of Toronto Public Works, said one of the problems are some "lazy" people are "sitting in their homes eating popcorn" while others are out shovelling.
And while that may be true, it still doesn't change the fact that the sidewalks are icy and very dangerous. Passing the buck or blame would hardly cut it in the court of law where the liability of those sidewalks rests with the city.
I say rather than handing out tickets, city workers should bring some salt and sand to the darned sidewalks and don't worry about Mihevc's desire to ding more people.
DeBaermaker, who received dozens of complaints yesterday, agrees the current approach needs to be modified and Rob Ford put it all in perspective with this: "Just take the money needed out of Kyle Rae's upcoming trip to a conference in Mexico and use it to buy some bags of salt."
Until that's done, you can play hockey or speed-skate on Toronto's sidewalks. Hope there's not a fine for that!
• You can call Joe Warmington at (416) 947-2392 or e-mail at joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca
By JOE WARMINGTON
Toronto Sun
Tue, February 12, 2008
It's like a skating rink out there on Toronto sidewalks.
No, really, I am not kidding.
You can skate on many of them. I did yesterday.
To be honest, I felt much safer doing that than walking. It was pure ice and for that you need skates. Watch my video on torontosun.com and you will see for yourself. I even did a little stick-handling with a puck -- but not as much stick-handling as some on city council seem to be doing on this issue.
For me it's a classic case of rink rage.
Once again some of our out-of-touch city councillors huffing and puffing about trying to fine people for not shovelling their sidewalks were nowhere to be found to put a little salt or sand down to protect our children or seniors from being severely hurt.
The truth is, no matter the politics, in many areas the sidewalks are treacherous. Time bombs, actually. I personally saw six people slip and fall on sidewalks yesterday. And I almost fell once myself.
"It happened to me too," said Justin Van Dette, an assistant to Councillor John Parker at city hall. "I was just walking along St. Clair when I slipped. Luckily I landed on my brief case."
PARKING TICKET SYSTEM
Of course, if many down at city hall had it their way they'd not only blame you, but also try to fine you too. Seriously!
"My hope is that we can find a legal way to do this on a more proactive basis," Councillor Joe Mihevc said in a Saturday Toronto Sun story by Zen Ruryk, adding he would like to see "some system similar to parking tickets" implemented.
The great tax collector, Mihevc was said to be "at a conference in Ottawa" yesterday and did not return my call. I don't think Ottawa is far enough away for that to be excusable, but maybe he can get some tips at the Rideau Canal on how to better maintain a skating rink because there are lots around our city right now.
Thanks to a snowfall, a thaw and then a freeze, you have some very dangerous areas out there.
I noticed it down in Riverdale when I was at the Maple Leafs outdoor practice at Withrow Park. Getting to the rink was a real chore and I was teasing the top-notch City of Toronto parks and recreation rink and Zamboni guys -- Steve Boyko, Ron Perkins, David Green, Clyde Preston and Dave Barr -- since the Leafs were so happy with their outdoor skate they should take that machine out and flood the sidewalks too.
As people were leaving that great event, I could tell Councillor Paula Fletcher was not amused at how the conditions were in her ward. We don't agree on much but you can't say she doesn't work hard for her constituents.
"I agree with you," she said, adding she also agrees the idea of fining people for poor sidewalk maintenance is just not logical.
And yet this is the mindset of so many at city hall. They figure the sidewalks are the solely the homeowners' responsibility. But it's actually not true. You dig into this and you'll find that the city actually does plow many city sidewalks.
"We spend $30-million a year on it," said Councillor Rob Ford. "So I don't understand what this is all about. The city is supposed to do it."
Well, in some neighbourhoods at least. Not all is equal, it turns out. It's different from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. "Confusing," is the word Parker used to describe it. "I think we need to clarify this for people."
So as I understand it, only some sections of the city have to take care of their own sidewalks while others have it plowed. But the poor shmucks in the areas who don't have the special sidewalk-cleaning machine are on the hook for maintaining the walkways - but still paying the same taxes as those in the neighbourhoods that do.
Crazy. In fact this winter more than 600 homes have been warned by city staffers and more than 100 have been fined $125. "Any senior will tell you that during a snowfall ... if the sidewalks aren't clear, they feel unsafe walking the street," Mihevc said in Saturday's paper. "It's a matter of public courtesy, community decency for all of us to shovel the snow."
If you are in a union it's a little more lucrative for you, though. It boggles the mind with the taxes people pay, why aren't the sidewalks a city responsibility? But it has to be asked: What happens when there is a section of the street where there are no homes?
Who is going to clear those areas? Well, if yesterday is any indicator, how about nobody?
And the city has no answer for this. It's something that has slipped between the cracks. And that means people are slipping on the ice.
SALT, SAND
Councillor Glenn DeBaermaker, chair of Toronto Public Works, said one of the problems are some "lazy" people are "sitting in their homes eating popcorn" while others are out shovelling.
And while that may be true, it still doesn't change the fact that the sidewalks are icy and very dangerous. Passing the buck or blame would hardly cut it in the court of law where the liability of those sidewalks rests with the city.
I say rather than handing out tickets, city workers should bring some salt and sand to the darned sidewalks and don't worry about Mihevc's desire to ding more people.
DeBaermaker, who received dozens of complaints yesterday, agrees the current approach needs to be modified and Rob Ford put it all in perspective with this: "Just take the money needed out of Kyle Rae's upcoming trip to a conference in Mexico and use it to buy some bags of salt."
Until that's done, you can play hockey or speed-skate on Toronto's sidewalks. Hope there's not a fine for that!
• You can call Joe Warmington at (416) 947-2392 or e-mail at joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca
JasonParis
Moderator
Icy sidewalks plague city
February 12, 2008
Emily Mathieu
Joanna Smith
Staff Reporters
A pedestrian is partially obscured by steam from a downtown grate yesterday. Extremely cold temperatures are expected to continue today. A high of –6C is forecast but the wind chill will make it feel as cold as –19C.
Bitter or biting, frigid or frosty, nipping or numbing, it doesn't matter how you try to describe it: It's just cold – and extremely slippery.
Plunging temperatures over the weekend turned puddles of slush pooling across sidewalks and streets into a massive – though rather patchy – skating rink, sending people skidding and sliding as they walked around the city.
Alexander Philbert, 13, did a little two-step and then steadied himself by waving his arms as he hit one of those patches on Dowling Ave. just south of Queen St. W. yesterday evening.
"I guess there's not much you can do about it," said Philbert, who confessed to having fallen down at least once in the past couple of days.
Philbert said he did not get hurt, but by 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon Toronto EMS had received 66 calls for falls and had taken 55 people to hospital by ambulance.
"That is an abnormally high number and a large portion of those were slips on the ice," said Lyla Miller, a spokesperson for Toronto EMS.
People with mobility issues or the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Miller suggested others should "run their errands for them or make sure they are wearing proper shoes." The sidewalks on some side streets were so bad, pedestrians took to walking down the middle of the road.
That was the only way Linda Taciano could roll her small suitcase up Callender St. north of Queen St. W. as she returned from visiting her family in Quebec City for the annual winter carnival.
"They've got more snow, but they are better equipped to do the cleanup," Taciano said when comparing her native city to Toronto, where she has lived for 17 years. "I have never seen a plow on my street."
Salt won't melt ice and snow when temperatures drop below —13C, said Peter Noehammer, director of transportation services with the City of Toronto.
So for the last couple of days spreading salt would have be a useless exercise, he said.
People should clear ice and snow "immediately" to cut down on slips and spread sand for traction, he said, adding homeowners and business owners are responsible for those tasks.
"On those main streets the property owners are pretty good about it. They don't want their clientele falling, so it's more a case on the local streets," he said, adding that failing to clear snow and ice within 12 hours could result in a $125 ticket.
The city plows sidewalks on designated streets outside the downtown area when at least 8 centimetres of snow falls.
It will also clear downtown sidewalks if they are large enough to accommodate plows.
He said the city clears sidewalks for the elderly or disabled living downtown, manually if need be, and residents can find out how to register for clearance by visiting www.toronto.ca.
The city has been in a deep freeze for days.
On Sunday city officials declared an extreme cold weather alert, done when night temperatures are expected to drop below —15C, without the wind chill.
Yesterday morning the wind chill made temperatures feel like a bone-chilling —30C.
"I'd say you are looking at about 20 days a year when you have temperatures below —15C," said Sandy Radecki, climatologist with Environment Canada.
"When you have temperatures that cold, any kind of wind makes it feel miserable."
Today's high will be about —6C, but the wind chill will make it feel like —12C. In the morning it will feel like —19C, she said. We can also expect up to 10 centimetres of snow.
==============================
February 12, 2008
Emily Mathieu
Joanna Smith
Staff Reporters
A pedestrian is partially obscured by steam from a downtown grate yesterday. Extremely cold temperatures are expected to continue today. A high of –6C is forecast but the wind chill will make it feel as cold as –19C.
Bitter or biting, frigid or frosty, nipping or numbing, it doesn't matter how you try to describe it: It's just cold – and extremely slippery.
Plunging temperatures over the weekend turned puddles of slush pooling across sidewalks and streets into a massive – though rather patchy – skating rink, sending people skidding and sliding as they walked around the city.
Alexander Philbert, 13, did a little two-step and then steadied himself by waving his arms as he hit one of those patches on Dowling Ave. just south of Queen St. W. yesterday evening.
"I guess there's not much you can do about it," said Philbert, who confessed to having fallen down at least once in the past couple of days.
Philbert said he did not get hurt, but by 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon Toronto EMS had received 66 calls for falls and had taken 55 people to hospital by ambulance.
"That is an abnormally high number and a large portion of those were slips on the ice," said Lyla Miller, a spokesperson for Toronto EMS.
People with mobility issues or the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Miller suggested others should "run their errands for them or make sure they are wearing proper shoes." The sidewalks on some side streets were so bad, pedestrians took to walking down the middle of the road.
That was the only way Linda Taciano could roll her small suitcase up Callender St. north of Queen St. W. as she returned from visiting her family in Quebec City for the annual winter carnival.
"They've got more snow, but they are better equipped to do the cleanup," Taciano said when comparing her native city to Toronto, where she has lived for 17 years. "I have never seen a plow on my street."
Salt won't melt ice and snow when temperatures drop below —13C, said Peter Noehammer, director of transportation services with the City of Toronto.
So for the last couple of days spreading salt would have be a useless exercise, he said.
People should clear ice and snow "immediately" to cut down on slips and spread sand for traction, he said, adding homeowners and business owners are responsible for those tasks.
"On those main streets the property owners are pretty good about it. They don't want their clientele falling, so it's more a case on the local streets," he said, adding that failing to clear snow and ice within 12 hours could result in a $125 ticket.
The city plows sidewalks on designated streets outside the downtown area when at least 8 centimetres of snow falls.
It will also clear downtown sidewalks if they are large enough to accommodate plows.
He said the city clears sidewalks for the elderly or disabled living downtown, manually if need be, and residents can find out how to register for clearance by visiting www.toronto.ca.
The city has been in a deep freeze for days.
On Sunday city officials declared an extreme cold weather alert, done when night temperatures are expected to drop below —15C, without the wind chill.
Yesterday morning the wind chill made temperatures feel like a bone-chilling —30C.
"I'd say you are looking at about 20 days a year when you have temperatures below —15C," said Sandy Radecki, climatologist with Environment Canada.
"When you have temperatures that cold, any kind of wind makes it feel miserable."
Today's high will be about —6C, but the wind chill will make it feel like —12C. In the morning it will feel like —19C, she said. We can also expect up to 10 centimetres of snow.
==============================
H
Hydrogen
Guest
I wonder if Glen is making reference to lazy seniors, too?
Shovel all you want, but when ice forms on a cleared sidewalk (and it does) it's hard to get rid of. So maybe there is an expectation that homeowners will then salt or sand the sidewalks at their own expense. Then someone can come along and complain (a guy like Glen) about the environmental implications of some homeowners using too much salt, or the city can then pass on a charge to property owners for too much sand ending up in the storm sewers. Maybe a large force of inspectors can be hired by the city to hound - er - inspect what each property owner is up to in lieu of the city doing as little as possible with its sidewalk infrastructure - maintained ostensibly maintained by the city through municipal taxes.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
If its turned to ice, you have waited too long to shovel and thats your fault.