[lordmandeep]

yeah I broke my garden shovel right now trying to get rid of the ice.

I then dropped 10 kg of salt on my sidewalk and hoped for the best.

Anyways the CIty did a good job cleaning all of the big roads rather fast and they have gotten good at it.

However the downtown side streets are a disaster.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Easy shovelling last night and this morning - light, fluffy snow.

 

[lordmandeep]

it was not much, however It gets rather difficult when you have to throw the snow like a catapult to get it over the snowbanks.

 

[grey]

Sidewalks have been absolutely horrible this year. I find myself WALKING ON THE ROAD a lot more often because it's actually clear. I pray for -12 C weather so that the mush will at least freeze over so that it's walkable.

 

[Tuscani01]

Easy shovelling last night and this morning - light, fluffy snow.

Try shoveling in my neighbourhood. Snow banks are so high at this point, you can barely pile any more snow on them. Not to mention my driveway also slopes down towards the garage... all the snow from the bottom has to be pushed up. the city needs to hurry up and get rid of the snow banks on my street. Its getting to point where people are just dumping the snow in the middle of the street now... Illegal, but what other options are there?

 

[Urban Shocker]

In '99, the snowbank on my front lawn was five feet high. This year, so far, it is only about three feet.

Bring it on!

 

[MisterF]

Why do they clean it Quebec City or Ottawa and not here, well of course were talking about a city controlled by the NDP and unions...

I never understood the criticism of Toronto being "controlled by the unions". It makes no sense. Public employees are unionized in every city.

I had said in Calgary its against City By-Laws not to shovel in front of your house, perhaps Toronto should adopt the same. It would take some pressure off the sidewalk cleaners.

Toronto has the same by-law, most cities do.

 

[JasonParis]

Why is it the city can't get our sidewalks cleared - yet have no trouble keeping up with writing parking tickets?
TORONTO SUN
By JOE WARMINGTON

Even with this nasty storm the city seems still seems to find a way to get out there and hand out their parking tickets okay.

In fact, it's darn right prompt service the parking enforcement officers provide. They even have storm uniforms for them. Instant and relentless. This city has zero tolerance for people parking a couple of extra minutes and rip millions out of hard-working citizens every year as a result.

This city seems to have more tolerance for a city council which allows its sidewalks and roads to be in such obscene conditions -- and even blame the taxpayer for it.

The service doesn't seem to be quite as prompt and instantaneous when it comes to plowing roads, salting them and maintaining the ferocious sidewalks.

And because of that, it's not a good time to be a senior, disabled or really anybody if you travel anywhere on a city sidewalk. Too bad there wasn't a fine or ticket, surcharge or new tax on his income that we could hand the mayor for that.

That would be the last ticket they would write during this crisis. Instead of nailing everybody in sight, I would hand them shovels and bags of salt instead and help the struggling commuters, pedestrians and citizens of Toronto and those visiting.

DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE

Now that would be a city that cares about its people.

But that kind of comfort and compassion doesn't seem to ever happen here -- perhaps because somebody has to pay for our city council's whopping annual raises and their massive office expense budgets.

Who I really feel sorry for are people like Stan Oster. He was born a partial quadriplegic and is an incredible success story, since he can get around with the help of a cane and a slow and deliberate step. But not very often this winter. The condition of the sidewalks in his neighbourhood of Avenue and Davenport Rds. are atrocious.

If you look at the video on torontosun.com, you'll see for yourself how dangerous it is. I didn't skate on them like I did the day before on Carlaw Ave. -- but I could have.

"It makes it very hard to go out and get a coffee or groceries," Oster said. "I have only seen these sidewalks this year sanded once."

Now how could that be in a rich city like this, which seems to have plenty of money for those on council to go to conferences in Mexico, but not much for basic services you'd think a city would provide?

MANY FALLS REPORTED

Many people have fallen and some have been hurt.

Sun editorial page editor Rob Granatstein was telling me he darn near fell flat on his butt on Danforth near Victoria Park. Many others have told me the same.

Thanks to this terrible performance of keeping things safe for pedestrians in 2008, I would recommend to all seniors or those who travel with a cane or wheelchair that you might want to wait until the next thaw.

It's just not safe out there right now. And it doesn't look like anybody at the city is going to do anything about it.

Nobody knows this reality more than Stan. On a disability pension, the 53-year-old is basically apartment bound and can't make his daily trips to have a cup of joe made by Maggie at Havana Coffee or to the Avenue Diner for a burger.

It seems the service was less prompt for a city working to salt or sand the skating rink for a sidewalk along Davenport near Avenue Rd. But the taxes are still going up and some on council want to fine homeowners for not maintaining city sidewalks.

Now, if I was on council, I would suspend all the free suppers and free parking and use some of their $50,000 office expense accounts and buy some salt for the sidewalks. I'd also cancel Family Day for them and take care of the concerns of seniors and the disabled here.

But since I am not, you'll likely have to share those icy sidewalks with the parking assassins who somehow seem to be the only city service not slowed down by this weather.

 

[JasonParis]

Nobody knows this reality more than Stan. On a disability pension, the 53-year-old is basically apartment bound and can't make his daily trips to have a cup of joe made by Maggie at Havana Coffee or to the Avenue Diner for a burger.

Not really related, but Maggie does make a fantastic coffee!

 

[Vito81]

Weird, isn't the front half of a person's front yard city property? Or should I say, didn't a few people have that arguement in another thread? I always clear my front sidewalk and walkways anyways but just bringing up a comment that I read before

 

[nfitz]

I had said in Calgary its against City By-Laws not to shovel in front of your house, perhaps Toronto should adopt the same. It would take some pressure off the sidewalk cleaners.

Toronto as well - $105 - here's the by-law - hmm, if you read the fine print, looks like your responsible for clearing the street - though perhaps it's just a catch-all if it is adjacent to your property, rather than a sidewalk ... wonder if that means I should be clearing the alley beside my house

It also notes that No property owner, occupant, or other person shall move or permit to be moved snow or ice from private property onto a highway, sidewalk or laneway. So clearing the snow that's onto the sidewalk onto the street, or on the section of the driveway that is on city property onto the street is legal.

 

[lordmandeep]

The sun makes no sense.

They yell at the city for spending to much money and should cut services.

Then yell at the city when services are getting cut.


You can't have it both ways or it is just a way to sell a paper.


What they could do is modify the sidewalk cleaners so they also put out salt.
Also there are 600 road plows, but why only 300 sidewalk plows. Perhaps more is needed.


The city could budget more money next year and even justify raising taxes to buy more equipment for next year. However I will bet 10 bucks the Sun will then yell about raising taxes.

 

[Hydrogen]

You do realize the city gives you certain rights to that property which they own, right? For example, if you have a driveway... you have to drive over the sidewalk to get to it. You also have to cross the sidewalk to get to your front door. The only thing the city expects in return is that you maintain it. If you have grass, cut it. If you have a sidewalk, shovel it. Would you rather they charge you for access and snow clearing? You are also aware that there is a sidewalk in front of your house when you purchase. It doesn't just appear out of nowhere one day during a snowfall. Cleaning the snow off it is something you agreed to do when purchasing the house, so it is the homeowners fault, not the people walking. Those who purchase homes on corner lots know exactly what they are getting into. You have 12 hours AFTER a snowfall to clear your sidewalk... a normal work day is no longer than 9 hours. Besides, we are complaining about sidewalks that are still snow covered DAYS after a snowfall... not a few hours.

And for the record... snow does turn into ice. It goes from snow, to slush which then freezes into ice. If you walk on snow long enough, it will turn into slush. If you have a problem with runoff freezing into ice, Canadian Tire does sell shovels with a metal blade on the bottom which helps lift and break the ice. Long handled ice scrapers are also sold.

I'm well aware of the city provides in terms of sidewalk "rights" in terms of driveway access. But consider that the city has to provide this access to homeowners otherwise streets would be cluttered by street parking.

But you are missing the point: sidewalks are a public good, and like the roads, ought to be publicly maintained to a minimum standard by the city. They are city infrastructure and not the property of homeowners. If we take your argument one step further then maybe the roads ought to be shoveled by the homeowner as well.

Ottawa has had about 300 centimetres of snow this winter. The sidewalks are clear and safe, and people can get on a bus without having to scale a mountain of snow. They get more snow there, more often, and deal with it far better than we do here.


When snow is stepped on, some of it melts and then refreezes into ice.

 

[lordmandeep]

Ottawa has had about 300 centimetres of snow this winter. The sidewalks are clear and safe, and people can get on a bus without having to scale a mountain of snow. They get more snow there, more often, and deal with it far better than we do here.

remind you for the 100th time, were talking about the city of Toronto here.

I however do see snow budgets skyrocketing after this year in all of the GTA cities this year.

I say the city just increases all of the snow removal services and just pay for it by property tax. No one would complain, or they would be hypocrites.


However, imagine having 100 million dollars for snow clearing and like 1000 snow revomal equipment around a winter where it does not snow hardly at all. Would seem a rather big waste.

 

[nfitz]

Ottawa has had about 300 centimetres of snow this winter. The sidewalks are clear and safe ...

Ah, but that's the point. Ottawa gets 300 cm of snow in a year. I just checked Environment Canada's data for Toronto (XTO) for winter 2006/2007. 43 cm total - with the maximum ever reported on the ground of 19 cm. (FYI it reports 108 cm this year to Feb 11).

That being said I was just wandering around the neighbourhood- by far the worst sidewalk I saw, was a 100-metre long stretch of city-cleared (in theory) sidewalk along a major artery where there are no private property owners!