City staff will soon be required to remove snow from certain sidewalks and trails within the same 72-hour window as residents.
Not only will the new regulations under the Trails and Sidewalk Winter Maintenance Policy call for the city to clear the way within 72 hours of a major snowfall, it will also determine which areas are higher up on their priority list.
"When we do snowplowing, we get calls (from the public) about city-owned sidewalks... Currently, there is no established service level around how to do these things," detail general manager of infrastructure services Azam Khan. "That's what this service is trying to deliver, so when we get a call about a sidewalk not getting done, we will have some kind of policy supporting whether we do it in 24 hours or 72 hours."
Glenn Barnes, general manager of community services, explained the tier-type system to council during their corporate priorities meeting on Nov. 19.
"This policy is designed to give some structure around how and when we're going to be maintaining and plowing the sidewalks and trails," he noted. "There will be some massaging going on in regards to that, and whether we have the alignment right as far as priorities."
He continued, "There are three priorities, one for 24-hours, 48-hours, and 72-hours; that's not to say that we won't get them done in 72 hours, the vision is that we get them all done at once, however, if there's a big snowfall, we do have that flexibility to come back and ensure we have the priority ones done, which are going to be ones along the major roadways and the major trail along Hwy. 28."
The priority two category includes trail systems and sidewalks associated with minor arterial roadways, while the areas along collector or local roadways, parks, and public utility lots are the last to be finished.
City staff are sent out to get the job done using their two sidewalk plows.
"I know ratepayers and residents are supposed to shovel the sidewalks beside and in front of their houses, so are you lifting the blade once you're done the priority areas as you transfer the machine down to other areas?" asked Coun. Kirk Soroka.
"Generally speaking, we're not clearing in front of public properties," CAO Kevin Nagoya stated.
Mayor Craig Copeland wondered if staff could clear a path on road allowances in places like English Bay Rd., which doesn't currently have a sidewalk or trail.
"Just come by the blade once in a while. There are people who walk down English Bay Rd. late at night, this way they could walk on a path," he said.
Coun. Vicky Lefebvre agreed, "It might be safer for the people who do walk out there."
The draft policy was before council for discussion, and will be brought to a future meeting to be passed.
