Extension cord over sidewalk bylaw to be revisited

Saskatoon is set to crack open a decades-old bylaw with the aim of clarifying the rules around extension cords running across sidewalks to vehicles, a common sight in the winter months and a potential tripping hazard.

City council’s transportation committee voted to re-examine the electric equipment bylaw, which passed in 1958, on Monday, after a 66-year-old woman asked them to consider updating it to require all extension cords be marked or flagged.

“Everything we’ve heard is there isn’t a desire to ban cords from sidewalks at this point, out of a recognition that people, sometimes that’s the only way of keeping their vehicle plugged in and able to start,” Mayor Charlie Clark said.

“But could there be a way to make it clear that it’s a responsibility of the person putting that cord across the sidewalk that they need to do it in a safe way?” Clark said, adding the issue also affects people with mobility issues.

Coun. Bev Dubois said there are ways to ensure cords are visible, while Clark noted he has seen homeowners who cover their extension cords with thin rubber mats, reducing the hazard and ensuring the sidewalk is passable.

Only Coun. Zach Jeffries voted against the motion, suggesting that updating the language does not make sense because it would likely result in minor changes that don’t make a difference, or onerous ones council will reject.

“Let’s work smarter to inform people how they can be a good neighbour instead of thinking we fix problems with bylaws that few read or understand,” Jeffries said following the meeting.

The committee heard suggestions about cords could be in the city’s upcoming good neighbour guidelines.

The existing bylaw does not permit extension cords to cross sidewalks except in certain situations. However, bylaw enforcement officers permit the practice provided they are plugged into a vehicle and not being used “in a hazardous manner.”

Marcia Provenzano, who suffered two black eyes, bruises and four stitches in her forehead after tripping over a cord and falling while out walking in College Park last month, said she did not want to be “unreasonable.”

The solution, she told The Starphoenix, is “Anything to draw attention to the fact there’s a cord there.”