Farr to suggest permanent solution to slick plaques
A downtown city councillor said he plans to take action to find a more permanent solution to slick granite sidewalk plaques after a Hamilton resident recently slipped and fell on one.
Saira Peesker, a former Spectator reporter who now works at the Burlington Post, said her feet flew out from under her on Tuesday morning when she walked over the sidewalk plaque that was covered with leaves on James Street North near Cannon Street.
The fall caused her to go down hard on the back of one hand and both knees, one of which she had surgery on last summer.
Peesker said Tuesday she had reached out to the city about her fall.
She said she did not believe she was badly hurt, but wanted to take action to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“I fell pretty hard,” she said. “It can be life-threatening if an elderly person falls like that.”
Jason Farr, the councillor for Ward 2, acknowledged there have been issues with the plaques in the past, but noted he hadn’t heard any recent complaints until this week. Previously, he followed up on the earlier complaints and tested the plaques himself, which he found to be slippery, he said.
Community activist Matt Jelly said he has reached out to the city several times since 2011 about the slipperiness of the plaques after hearing complaints and seeing people fall on them.
In a 2015 email to Farr, he asked if it might be possible to replace them using area-rating capital.
According to Jasmine Graham, a city spokesperson, the city applies slip-resistant SharkGrip to the granite plates twice a year to maintain traction for pedestrians.
The product will be applied later this week before the snow begins, said Graham.
But if people are continuing to slip, more needs to be done, Farr said.
“When we hear there’s complaints, we need to be proactive here and deal with the problem once and for all,” he added.
Farr said Wednesday he had spoken to public works staff and plans to suggest a more permanent solution that could include replacing the plaques with a more cement-based material.
According to Graham, there are approximately 25 locations with these plates in Hamilton, all in the downtown area. They are mostly located on James Street North, between Cannon and Barton streets, at corners that cross a side street.
Risk management staff have received “very few” claims related to these plaques, she said in an email.
While the claims are tracked within the general category of “sidewalks” and can’t be pulled out separately, city staff estimate having received no more than three claims to date, she added.
“Staff are aware that the plaque surface, when wet, can become somewhat more slippery than the concrete sidewalk surface,” Graham said.
“Weather conditions, footwear and pedestrian attentiveness are also important factors,” she added.