By Glenn Hicks

Snow on the streets

No need to push snow onto sidewalks: Roadways manager

Feb 4, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Despite recent warnings from Prince Albert’s mayor, it doesn’t seem like the city will have to push snow onto sidewalks any time soon.

Last week Greg Dionne apologized in advance to the public for what he said might be a need, as a last ditch resort, to have crews push snow onto neighborhood walkways, given the large volume that has accumulated. He said another big dump might necessitate these measures because snow is being stored in places that it had not previously been put before. He added it is a tough snow year so far, even before the heavy falls that typically occur in March.

However, despite the latest storm on the weekend, the city’s roadways manager did not think such a drastic step was necessary.

“I don’t believe at this time that we’d ever have to do that,” Brent Kennedy told paNOW. “But we’ll wait to see what the winter brings us.”

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Kennedy said crews went out Sunday to plow the main routes, and might need to move into residential streets again, but things were “going along OK.”

He agreed with the mayor though on the accumulation of snow.

“Usually we get it later on in the year so we do have a lot right now,” he said.

The large accumulation and plowing efforts has resulted in neighborhood roadways getting narrower, especially with vehicles parked on the streets, according to Kennedy.

“I know windrows are a concern; we just encourage people to shovel the windrow if they do need to park out there,” he said. “We just don’t have the manpower or the money to move all the windrows in the city.”

The narrowing of the streets is especially problematic and frustrating for operators of larger vehicles.

For example paNOW learned from one bus driver whose route was blocked by parked cars last week and they had to knock on a homeowner’s door to move a vehicle.

When he spoke of the possibility of having snow pushed onto the sidewalks Dionne said he heard from residents whose number one priority was to have clear streets so they could get to work, get to the hospital and get their kids to school.

It’s not perfect but I’d hate to see us go back there _{Ted Zurakowski}

However, at least one city councilor said there was a need to have a broader conversation about what options the city has for dealing with the excessive snow, and any more accumulation that may arise.

“I think the city has done a good job over the last number of years of trying to keep snow off the sidewalks,” Ted Zurakowski told paNOW. “It’s not perfect but I’d hate to see us go back there.”

Zurakowski said it was a conversation to have with the public.

“Would they want to see the level of service decrease, or a higher level of taxes to clear the snow away, or leave it and push it onto to the sidewalks?” he said.

The bulk of the negative response paNOW received from Dionne’s warning centres on the public safety issue if pedestrians were forced to wade through snowy sidewalks or have to abandon the walkway for the road.

“I’ve spoken with my neighbours and I’m confident they are not excited about the idea of putting snow onto the sidewalks,” Zurakowski said.

When asked for comment regarding the potential dangers that would be faced by students, Sask. Rivers Public Schools Director of Education Robert Bratvold said he was hopeful for public discussion. He added in his seven or eight years in his position he could not recall such measures being necessary.

“If the situation requires that (pushing snow onto sidewalks), I’d hope we could have some conversations with the city to see if there was any impact on kids walking to school,” he said.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow