Halifax – Nearly 60 centimetres of snow has fallen in Halifax over the past week, but that’s not the only thing piling up in the city. The municipality admits they’ve received a number of complaints from unhappy residents who feel crews aren’t doing enough to clear sidewalks.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen the sidewalks and I’ve lived here for about 8 years,” says Shelley Adams.
The past few weeks have made it extremely difficult for Adams to navigate the sidewalks in the city. She is legally blind, and uses a guide dog to help her get around. Adams says the sidewalk conditions are dangerous, in some spots, she needs to walk on the street because large snow banks result in limited access to crosswalks.
“For me, I don’t know what’s coming. My dog is trained to show me where there’s obstacles, so if there is any kind of snow in the way or snow banks, he just stops, he doesn’t know where to take me,” she tells Global News.
Adams isn’t alone when it comes to dealing with her frustration. The CNIB says they’ve received a number of complaints from people with vision loss, who are finding it hard to get around.
Other people with mobility issues are also having trouble this winter.
“The city, I’m just amazed, half the streets are not cleared of ice, and a lot of people are falling,” says Thomas MacKay, who uses a scooter to get around.
Parents with small children, many of which are in strollers say some of the sidewalks in the city are impossible to use. “It’s very hard to get out anyway with a baby and with a little guy, and to have the sidewalks blocked it’s like we can’t get out at all,” says Krista Smith.
City officials say municipal crews have been working day and night to remove the snow and ice from clogged streets, intersections and sidewalks across the Halifax region. In a statement issued late Monday afternoon, the municipality said they recognize “how frustrating the past week has been for commuters, particularly those with mobility issues”, and ask for patience.
“While it’s not perfect, a lot of progress has been made over the last three or four days. We had a full compliment of staff out yesterday including myself doing an audit on sidewalk routes and actually seeing real live actual feedback on exactly how things are looking and where we see them going” says Darrin Natolino, HRM Transportation and Public Works.
Additional equipment has been brought in to supplement the four municipal loaders, 40 street plows and 10 sidewalk plows that are currently deployed to haul away the snow. The city says crews are addressing problem areas by removing snow from cul-de-sacs, pushing back and removing snow banks and widening intersections and turning lanes.
As for Shelley Adams, she recently made a complaint herself about how snow removal has been handled in the city, and is hoping more will be done. “There are people who don’t drive who need to get out and go to work everyday who don’t drive and we need to be able to get around safely,” she says.
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