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Clearing snow from sidewalks

From link...

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Now for a laugh...
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We've had more than 2 cm of snow, and the sidewalks (old city of York) in my neighbourhood still haven't been plowed. I'll give them until Saturday, or more likely Monday when its forecast to be +2°C.
 

From Joe Cressy's latest e-blast.​


6. Virtual Information Event – Sidewalk Snow Clearing Trial​

The City of Toronto recently concluded a trial to test the use of smaller sidewalk snow plows. The goal of the trial was to determine whether sidewalk snow clearing could be expanded to include areas of the city that do not currently receive mechanical clearing as part of the City's winter maintenance program. These areas have previously been excluded because the existing fleet of larger sidewalk plows are unable to safely clear narrow sidewalks with frequent physical obstructions.

The results of the trial and recommendations for the mechanical sidewalk clearing program will be presented to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council for consideration.

The City invites residents to learn more about the trial by attending a Virtual Public Information Event which will include a presentation by City staff followed by a Q&A session.

The event for Spadina-Fort York will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Click here to learn how to join online or by phone.

Learn more at toronto.ca/SidewalkTrial
 
DSC said:

From Joe Cressy's latest e-blast.​


6. Virtual Information Event – Sidewalk Snow Clearing Trial​

The City of Toronto recently concluded a trial to test the use of smaller sidewalk snow plows. The goal of the trial was to determine whether sidewalk snow clearing could be expanded to include areas of the city that do not currently receive mechanical clearing as part of the City's winter maintenance program. These areas have previously been excluded because the existing fleet of larger sidewalk plows are unable to safely clear narrow sidewalks with frequent physical obstructions.

The results of the trial and recommendations for the mechanical sidewalk clearing program will be presented to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council for consideration.

The City invites residents to learn more about the trial by attending a Virtual Public Information Event which will include a presentation by City staff followed by a Q&A session.

The event for Spadina-Fort York will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Click here to learn how to join online or by phone.

Learn more at toronto.ca/SidewalkTrial
Click to expand...
The 2020-2021 winter had been warmer and had less snow fall than normal. Not a "good" test.
 

How other cities around the world clear their streets of snow — including one that puts women first​

From link. Dated February 3, 2020.

Toronto is not the only city to deal with one of winter’s greatest annoyances: snow clearing.

But there’s a spirit of innovation in other northern locales that Torontonians can only envy.

In Sweden, for example, Stockholm and other cities have adopted a “gender-equal plowing strategy” that aims to give women a better chance of slogging through the white stuff.

Daniel Hellden, a senior city official in Stockholm, said figures show men are more apt to drive while women are more likely to walk or use public transit. So when the snow starts falling, sidewalks, cycling lanes and bus lanes take priority over clearing roads. Daycare centres and schools are served first.

“Men are sitting in the cars, and the women walk, cycle and go by public transportation in much higher amounts. So we’re trying to change” snow-clearing priorities, Hellden said in an interview, referencing local statistics on how people move around the city.

Iceland, with its wealth of hot springs, takes a different approach. Its capital city, Reykjavik, taps into that underground thermal energy and uses the hot springs groundwater to heat its houses. It then pipes the run-off water, still a balmy 30 C, through plastic tubing embedded in the streets and sidewalks to melt the snow.

Throughout Scandinavia, in cities like Oslo, Norway, and Helsinki, Finland, city governments have installed electric elements in sidewalks to keep them ice- and snow-free. Officials say heating the sidewalks is cheaper than clearing the snow and ice. And an added bonus is that hospital visits for slip-and-fall accidents have declined.

When we think Japan, we generally think of blossoms, not snow. But the city of Sapporo, population 2 million, is one of the country’s snowiest cities, with an annual average of six metres. Most of its sidewalks are heated, as is true of other northern Japanese cities.

Montreal considered a proposal in 2015 to install heated sidewalks, but officials decided the cost to install the heaters was prohibitive, and the idea was abandoned.

Other snowy Japanese cities, such as Tsunan, have installed sprinklers or shosetsu (snow-melting pipes, in English) in the middle of its streets to spray warm groundwater over the street to melt snow.
Click to expand...
In Minneapolis, Minn., city officials launched a major inspection blitz two years ago aimed at forcing property owners, residents and businesses to clear snow on sidewalks abutting their properties. If snow wasn’t cleared within 24 hours of a storm, property owners were issued “assessments” for the cost of having city workers do the job.

In 2018, the first year inspectors were sent out in force, assessments were five times higher than the previous year.

Toronto property owners are similarly required to clear the snow and ice from their sidewalks. Many will remember the days when Toronto celebs such as cartoonist Ben Wicks, Maple Leaf Wendel Clark and Blue Jay Lloyd Moseby had commercials reminding Torontonians to be nice, clear your ice.
Click to expand...

From 1985.
 

Toronto cyclists call on City to plow bike lanes after first snowfall leaves a mess​

From link. Dated November 29, 2021.

Love them or hate them, use them or curse them, they are often a hot topic in the city, and this weekend was no exception. After Sunday’s first accumulating snowfall of the season, cyclists wondered when they might be cleared for safe winter riding.
Click to expand...
Cyclists in the City quickly took to Twitter to document their treacherous rides. Despite clear roadways, some bike lanes were still slippery, snowy messes.
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Many people took to Twitter to emphasize the dangers of homeowners and business owners shovelling snow into bike lanes. One woman tweeted that she got into an argument with some people who were pushing the snow from the sidewalk into the designated bike lane.
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According to the City of Toronto, bike lanes are supposed to be salted and plowed at the same time as the adjacent road. While the above tweets seem to indicate otherwise, the City said that downtown bike lanes are prioritized.
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Despite the messy bike lanes, some Toronto cyclists seem to have enjoyed their snowy rides.
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Better yet, clear the sidewalks for pedestrians! Why do roadways get first clearing for snow before the pedestrian?

The elderly and handicapped have difficulty navigating the uncleared sidewalks, especially. Worse are the transit stops and the snow windrows at the corners.

Stop treating pedestrians as second-class.
 
DSC said:
usa.streetsblog.org

Why Sweden Clears Snow-Covered Walkways Before Roads

It’s part of “gender-balanced” policy that reflects the fact that women walk more than men.
usa.streetsblog.org usa.streetsblog.org


Some of Toronto's brand new sidewalk snowplows were out of service as storm hit
Click to expand...
In Toronto, the motorists are first class, because they tend to be the rich and elite. Pedestrians are second class, cyclists third class, and the handicap & incapacitated are fourth class.

Not like Sweden ( https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/01/24/why-sweden-clears-walkways-before-roads/ )
 
picard102 said:
False.
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Why are highways cleared first? I live near West Park Healthcare Centre (A rehabilitation hospital in Toronto focused on neuro rehab, amputee rehab, musculoskeletal rehab and respiratory rehab) where the sidewalk leading to it from Weston Road & Jane Street still hasn't been cleared of their windrows. The walkers or wheelchairs can't be used, but the automobile can.

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Here is the situation on west side of Frederick Street just south of Front earlier today. This block of sidewalk has clearly not seen a plow and there are never cars parked on it so that is not the excuse. Though other sidewalks in our area are generally OK, I understand that almost all (maybe all all) were cleared by adjacent property owners and nobody I know has seen a City sidewalk plow around here. If the City is taking on responsibility for clearing public sidewalks they need to get MUCH better at it. Let's hope that practice will make perfect.

Frederick ST.JPG
 
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