To say this city has gone to hell with snow removal is an understatement. If you’re an Edmontonian commuting the residential streets, the public sidewalks and worst of all, past the windrows, best of luck. Honestly, it seems like the powers that be forgot that people actually live in this winter city and need to be able to leave their homes without the constant struggle of ruts and windrows. Why does navigating my neighbourhood feel like a nightmare when public safety is supposed to be a priority?
According to the City of Edmonton, there are priorities to snow removal. Major roadways, like the Yellowhead and Whitemud Drive, are cleared while snow is falling. When it stops snowing, Priority 1 is “main freeways, bus routes, downtown, business district and hills.” Though this mostly makes sense, it takes so long for crews to get to what affects nearly every single person in the city: residential areas. These are Priority 4.
This winter, there is a new mayor. Andrew Knack is coming into one of the heaviest snowfalls the city has seen in a while, mixed with some wild and warm weather. The city had their work cut out for them from the beginning.
Having only been in office for approximately two months at the start of the snow, can we really have expected to see anything of quality with the first massive snowfall of the year?
In my opinion, yes. We live in a primarily winter city, and snow is to be expected annually, often within a relatively predictable timeframe.
A large part of Knack’s mayoral campaign was safety. He envisioned a safer city and a safer future for Edmonton’s streets. “Too many Edmontonians no longer feel safe, whether they’re taking the bus, visiting downtown, or simply walking in their neighbourhood,” says Knack’s website.
He also campaigned on increased traffic safety. “As our city continues to grow rapidly, so must our commitment to reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, protecting families, and creating neighbourhoods where everyone feels secure.”
I think he left a lot of room for interpretation. I believe that within a safer city, there are safer roads and sidewalks. Climbing over a two-foot-high windrow of ice and compact snow onto an icy sidewalk is far from safe.
I am an able-bodied resident, and I struggle to climb when I park on or have to cross the street, but I cannot imagine the struggle of those with mobility issues. The windrow situation has become an accessibility nightmare. Is safety really a priority if residents can’t even reach the sidewalk without fear of getting hurt from the ice and snow?
To be completely honest, there is more than enough heat on social media for snow removal to be better. Starting with bus routes and arterial roads absolutely makes sense, but residential neighbourhoods feel treacherous.
It is infuriating to see so many people unable to get their cars out without damaging them or other vehicles because the city did not properly plan for this. Is it really a good system if the city’s population swarms news outlets with complaints about how snow removal is being managed? Damaged vehicles, emergency vehicles unable to access the emergencies and even the snow plows all getting stuck should be enough to tell the people in charge to do better.
The City of Edmonton and city counselors tried to explain away the issue with plan after plan and charts and graphs depicting these plans, but when push came to shove, they still really dropped the ball.
Knack knows the city needs to improve. On Jan. 27, he published an article on his Substack addressing concerns about residential roads. “We need to do better,” he wrote. He plans to increase the service levels and increase the budget to prioritize moving towards “full snow removal on more streets (not just plowing and packing),” shortening completion of “neighbourhood blading after major snow accumulations” and improving “clearing of sidewalks and active pathways so people with limited mobility can travel safely.”
The best we can hope is that through all of this, next year is better. So, my note to the city and all that are in charge of snow removal: Welcome (back) to city council, but respectfully, I’ll need to see improvement with my own eyes.
Feature image supplied
