City council is asking administration to investigate what can done to stop cuts to the city’s street cleaning budget.
Earlier this month, the city cut the budget for the annual spring street cleaning by $700,000, even though a cold winter with record snowfall forced the city’s transportation department to use more than double the amount of gravel it normally does.
“This is a cut that many of us are uncomfortable with,” says Calgary’s new city manager, Jeff Fielding.
As part of the cutbacks, the city decided to stop towing cars left on the street in cleaning zones, but the city says that decision may be reversed because of increased revenue from parking fines.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he hopes to come up with a solution Calgarians will be happy with.
“We put gravel on for safety of the cars, but bikes get the consequence. We appreciate money going into snow clearing, but we need to keep our city safe for cyclists.”
City councillors add they have been fielding complaints from constituents, who are upset about the massive amount of gravel on roadways.
Comments