First it was complaints about snowy, slippery roads. Now it’s a record number of complaints about snowy, slippery sidewalks. It seems this winter, more than any other, has angered Calgarians.
Bylaw officers have been bombarded with a record 3,460 complaints in the past month about sidewalks not shovelled. Property owners adjacent to sidewalks are responsible to clear snow and ice within 24 hours of a snowfall.
If reported for not clearing your walks, the city will issue a warning and if not responded to, its crews will shovel for you at a cost of $150 to $450. City crews have cleared almost 1,000 sidewalks so far this season — another record.
I don’t have a sidewalk, just a painfully long driveway. I parked the shovel a few weeks ago.
With Calgary’s average of 56.8 days with a snowfall of up to two centimetres and eight days with a snowfall of up to 23 cm, it’s no wonder many of us are feeling a little weary.
Some point their finger — if the city is not getting roads and walkways cleared within 24 hours, why should we clean ours? It’s true, the city has a limited budget and a priority system for snow and ice control, meaning it can take a while to get to some areas, but city surveys from 1997, 2004 and 2009 showed the same result — the majority of Calgarians were not willing to pay for enhanced services. After this year, it’s probably fair to say that attitude has changed.
We all seem to agree on one thing — we don’t like snowy, slippery roads or sidewalks. For the sake of mail carriers, meter readers, the disabled, elderly and the pizza guy, we should at minimum agree to clear our own walks.
I broke my shovel digging out of the monumental dumps of December 2008. Realizing plastic shovels are made for the beach, I upgraded to a metal-bladed shovel with wood handle. It might not be the self-propelled shovel of my dreams, but I’ve got the equipment as I’m sure most fellow Calgarians do.
Next step — shovelling the snow. Almost 150 people have been injured in the last month from slips on sidewalks. Those with limited mobility can’t travel through certain areas if they’re not properly cleared.
The reasons are compelling enough — so if you don’t want to shovel it yourself, then hire a residential snow removal service, but we should all commit to safe sidewalks.
Adrienne Beattie is a Calgary-born writer who has covered urban issues since 2001 and has an English degree from the University of Calgary.
