Public meeting held on sidewalk snowclearing
The first public meeting on sidewalk snowclearing in St. John’s was held Wednesday morning, and city staff heard from residents who described walking in the capital city during wintertime as scary and dangerous.
The city is seeking public input on how it can improve sidewalk snowclearing, with opportunities to provide feedback at engagestjohns.ca until June 19. City staff will compile a document detailing what they heard from residents, and make recommendations to council based on that feedback.
Virtual public meeting attendees were told at the start of the meeting that journalists were tuning in, but that attendees would not be quoted without their explicit permission, a deviation from in-person public meetings. A city spokesperson said the reason for this was to create a safe space for people to speak and engage with staff without being quoted in media, and differentiated it from public meetings on developments.
One of the main suggestions residents made during the public meeting was that sidewalks should be salted immediately after they are plowed. One resident said they fell several times this winter because sidewalks were icy even though they were cleared of snow.
Others suggested residential areas near schools should be given the same priority for sidewalk snowclearing as sidewalks directly adjacent to schools. They said students walk to schools from residential areas where sidewalks aren’t cleared as well as they are in front of schools.
Residents also expressed concerns with businesses and residents dumping snow from driveways and parking lots onto sidewalks.
Participants were asked what amount of property tax increase they would consider reasonable to accommodate improved sidewalk snowclearing. Most said a $25 per year increase was reasonable.
The city’s Engage St. John’s website says each potential improvement or change suggested by staff based on feedback from residents and businesses will be considered individually “to ensure we have the budget to make the change effectively.”
It says some changes may be possible for the 2020-21 winter season, but it’s also possible that a longer-term plan will be put in place with a series of changes to occur over time.