The state of sidewalks in Halifax has many worried about safety and wondering why more can’t be done by property owners and municipal crews.
This is just the second winter since the City of Halifax took over responsibility for clearing sidewalks, and some pedestrians believe the job was done better when left to homeowners.
Between contractors and the city’s plows, there are roughly 100 pieces of equipment working to clear Halifax’s sidewalks.
Local resident Don Marks — who lives near a stretch of Spring Garden Road that is impassable to sidewalk plows — says he can’t understand why more business owners can’t take to the streets with shovels as well to help prevent falls like the ones he’s witnessed.
“I’m scared to come out of my unit up there, just to face the sidewalks,” Marks said.
In suburban areas, it’s not much better.
Ken Campbell, who has worked as a crossing guard for 10 years, says the ridges of ice at some intersections are dangerous for children.
“Those ridges shouldn’t be there. It can be treacherous, even for me,” he said.
He’s worried about seniors and those with mobility issues, as well.
“I know there are sidewalks in the city that still haven’t been plowed after the storm. That’s over 72 hours,” Campbell said on Monday.
The state of the sidewalks presents unique challenges for Shelley Adams and her service dog, Pogo.
Adams is a sociologist and counsellor at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and she relies on Pogo because of her vision impairment.
She said the snow banks and ice make it difficult for Pogo to do his job at intersections.
Sometimes, she said, he’ll try to walk around them.
“Or he’ll stop on the road, at the snow bank, and then we have to stand on the road, trying to figure out how to get to the sidewalk,” Adams said.
That sometimes leaves Adams stuck not knowing where she is, except that she’s standing on the road.
Darren Natolino, head of Halifax’s winter operations, said the cold temperatures and resulting hard surfaces have made the snow-clearing task extra challenging for his crews.
“A route that normally gets cleared in, you know, twelve or eighteen hours, is taking a lot longer,” Natolino said.
“It's kind of a game of inches at this point, for us, as we're trying to slowly break through as much of that compacted snow and ice as we can,” he said.
A post-mortem is planned for after the winter season to review how the city’s snow-clearing system can be improved.
Currently, there are proposals for next year to have fewer contractors working on larger areas with more people and equipment, in hopes of boosting efficiency.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw
