Is your city ignoring its own snow-shoveling rules?

The clock to finish shoveling your snow starts ticking as soon as white fluff begins to cover the ground. Unless you are a local government. In that case you can apparently just wait for the snow to melt.

Sidewalk-clearing rules are meant to ensure that people who depend on city pathways and road crossings can get around town after a snowfall. That’s what municipalities tell residents. Clearing the snow is especially important for those who use wheelchairs, are less mobile, or would face danger navigating snowy or icy sidewalks. Yesterday, we talked to a pair of wheelchair users about navigating snowy sidewalks.

Today we look at local cities that expect their residents to clear sidewalks of snow, but which frequently fail to do so themselves for intersection islands and sidewalks along municipal property.

Langley and beyond

Across the Fraser Valley, most residents have 24 hours to clear their sidewalks or face a fine. In some places, business owners have to get moving even quicker. In Langley Township, businesses must clear their sidewalks by 10am.

“Clearing snow and ice from walkways will help prevent injuries from falls, and protect you from incurring fines of up to $100 per day,” the Township’s website quotes its bylaw enforcement manager as saying.

But the Township and other Fraser Valley municipalities frequently don’t meet the expectations they place upon their citizenry. (Technically all the bylaws are written in order to apply to private property owners, not the city government.)

In November, after a major snowfall, the Township used Facebook to remind residents of their snow-clearing obligations. But residents turned around and blasted the city.

“Pretty crappy this post is to make sure residents and businesses do their part when the township can’t even do theirs,” one person wrote.

“Sidewalks controlled by the city were the [worst] I saw today,” another wrote.

Another resident sent a letter to the Langley Advance Times decrying the state of the sidewalks. It was accompanied by a photo of long, icy stretch of sidewalk beside a Fort Langley park

“Children, caregivers and residents were trying to use this sidewalk to get not only to and from the school, but also other activities in the area,” Wendy Grant wrote.

The following month, Langley Township staff told council it didn’t have the resources needed to remove snow from sidewalks in front of its properties. Staff suggested creating a costly multi-million dollar plan to create sidewalk snow removal teams for each neighbourhood. (Council sent the plan back to staff for refinement.)

After a significant snowfall, covered sidewalks and traffic islands can frequently be found across the Fraser Valley. So we asked Mission, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford whether and when they seek to clear sidewalks and traffic islands for which they’re responsible.

Mission

The City of Mission’s website said it clears sidewalks along those main roads designated a priority for road-clearing. Facilities staff will also deal with sidewalks in front of buildings like City Hall. But sidewalks in front of parks and public property off of those routes are cleared after everything else if resources permit, communications manager Taryn Hubbard wrote in an email. Otherwise, “snow will be left to melt naturally.”

The city does not clear island intersections at all, Hubbard said.

Abbotsford

The City of Abbotsford doesn’t just rely on city staff, but also uses contractors to clear sidewalks for which it has a responsibility.

“Crews begin clearing these sidewalks as soon as the snow stops, which parallels when residents are expected to start clearing sidewalks in front of their homes,” communications officer Melissa Godbout wrote in an email.

But Abbotsford also doesn’t currently make it a priority to clear the traffic islands used by pedestrians to get from one sidewalk to another. Those intersection islands are only cleared after city crews have plowed every single roadway in town.

Godbout, though, said the city is looking to address the clearing of those islands and sidewalks in a policy update expected later this year.

Chilliwack

Chilliwack appears to make snow clearing pedestrian routes more of a priority.

The City of Chilliwack’s website says the municipality takes responsibility for clearing snow and ice adjacent to its properties and facilities, though it adds the caveat that it does so “when available resources and operating conditions permit.”

Communications manager Jamie Leggatt wrote in an email to the Current that sidewalks in front of city-owned property is a priority and after it’s complete, staff and crews move to frequently used sidewalks, bus stops and pedestrian crossings to clean.

They also try to clear areas surrounding key crossings, particularly in areas frequently used by pedestrians.

“While crews are unable to get to every crosswalk letdown and refuge island immediately following a snow event, they dedicate a lot of time to clearing letdowns and refuge islands in Downtown Chilliwack and around the hospital,” Leggatt wrote.