City sidewalk repair takes creative twist

When there’s a will there’s a way, even if it requires a novel solution to a vexing problem. Our May 13 column was about a newly installed utility pole on Bayview Ave., near Post Rd., that conspired with a pipe sticking out of the sidewalk to reduce by at least half the real estate available to pedestrians.

Toronto’s accessibility guidelines call for at least 1.7 metres of clear sidewalk space to ensure clearance for people who use wheelchairs or motorized scooters to get around.

Worse, bushes growing along a vacant property next to the sidewalk aren’t regularly trimmed.

Short of relocating the pole — an unlikely fix, given that Toronto Hydro had just put it in — the situation called for creativity and out-of-thebox thinking.

So we were delighted to get a note from Toronto Hydro spokesperson Tori Gass, who said that instead of moving the pole, the sidewalk was widened to increase the pedestrian space.

Many people don’t know that the road allowance — a municipallyowned space that extends at least one metre beyond the sidewalk on either side of the road — can be coopted by the city, even if it looks like it belongs to the nearest homeowner.

That’s what happened here. The bushes were trimmed back, fence posts were relocated and asphalt was laid down on the other side of the sidewalk to effectively widen it, creating a lot more space for pedestrians.

We like to give credit where credit is due. In this case, both Hydro and the city’s right-of-way management office have earned kudos for coming up with an imaginative fix. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.