By TERRY PUGH
A proposed bylaw aimed at encouraging residents and business owners to clear snow from public sidewalks adjacent to their property within 48 hours of a snowfall event has cleared another hurdle on its way to being implemented this fall.
Warman City Councillors voted to approve second reading of the Sidewalk Snow Clearing Bylaw at their meeting on Monday, September 28. The bylaw had been introduced and received first reading at a council meeting on July 20. It was subsequently discussed during a City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday, September 21.
The bylaw must still pass third and final reading before it comes into force.
The revised sidewalk snow clearing bylaw is still open for public input, with city officials hoping residents will visit the city’s booth to talk about it at the upcoming Warman open for Business (WOBE) trade show at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex on Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2.
Warman currently does not require homeowners and businesses to clear sidewalks in front of their property. The proposed bylaw would mark the first time such a requirement would be implemented.
The proposed bylaw was revised by city administration over the past few weeks following public consultation through an online survey. The biggest changes incorporated into the revised bylaw include: extending the time period from 24 to 48 hours after a snowfall for the sidewalk to be cleared, and also focusing on communication and education campaigns during the first year the bylaw is in effect, with enforcement phased in gradually after that.
A total of 843 survey responses were received, with roughly 76% of the respondents indicating they would likely comply with a sidewalk snow clearing bylaw if one were adopted.
However, that doesn’t mean everyone who responded to the survey was in favour of putting the onus for clearing sidewalks exclusively on residents’ shoulders.
“They survey revealed a substantial divide between residents who favour individual property-owner responsibility and those who believe the City should maintain public sidewalks,” according to an administration report to the Warman City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday, September 21. The report noted that 43.69% of respondents support a property-owner sidewalk-clearing requirement. The rest of the respondents had varied opinions, with many suggesting a shared responsibility and a minority wanting the city to be solely responsible for clearing sidewalks.
“A significant group believes homeowners should be responsible for the sidewalk immediately beside their property,” stated the report. “Their reasoning is generally:
* homeowners already clear their driveways;
* It is a reasonable extension of that responsibility;
* It distributes the work across the community;
* The City can concentrate resources on roads:
* Consistent clearing improves pedestrian safety;
* Everyone should contribute to maintaining the community.
“Some respondents explicitly described this as a shared responsibility: City handles major roads while residents handle the sidewalk adjacent to their property.”
Two main conclusions emerged from the survey, according to the administration report: residents want safer sidewalks, and there is meaningful support for a residential sidewalk clearing bylaw.
There was also overwhelming agreement among a very large number of respondents that residents cannot reasonably clear sidewalks when city graders push large amounts of compacted snow and ice onto them.
They want a “fair, flexible and mostly educational system” that takes into account vulnerable residents and unusual circumstances, stated the report. They also favour a coordinated system in which road clearing, sidewalk clearing, schools, bus stops, windrows, enforcement and exemptions all work together.
However, adoption of the sidewalk clearing bylaw has implications for the city’s existing Snow Removal Bylaw, which currently allows city administration some discretion to clear snow from roadways and temporarily store it on sidewalks, depending on snowfall amounts, weather conditions, available resources and operational priorities.
If the sidewalk clearing bylaw is implemented, it would necessitate changes to the City’s snow removal practices so that sidewalks are no longer routinely used as a location for snow storage. In the event the city does need to deposit snow on sidewalks, the city would assume responsibility for clearing the affected sidewalk until the city-deposited snow has been removed.
During discussion on the proposed bylaw at the September 21 committee of the whole meeting, several councillors expressed support for focusing on communication and education during the first year, and also ensuring the bylaw is flexible enough to take into account the needs of vulnerable residents and exceptional circumstances.