Key takeaways:
- With snow approaching, one Edmonton city councillor wants to see a change in how soon snow is cleared.
- Knack mentioned a few changes that had occurred during his time on council, such as using calcium chloride.
With snow on the way, one Edmonton city councilor calls for a change in how quickly it gets cleared.
On Saturday, Ward Nakota Isg Coun. Andrew Knack turned to social media to remark, “(Edmonton’s) snow clearance on active walkways and local roads is not good enough.”
“This is not due to the efforts of city employees.” They are doing their best with the resources they have. “This is due to a lack of equipment and personnel,” he explained in a tweet.
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Knack noted that there had been a few modifications during his tenure on council, such as the use of calcium chloride. While it improved road safety, it had a far bigger detrimental impact on public and private infrastructure.
Councilors finally decided against its continuing usage in the fall of 2018.
However, despite the city’s continued growth, Knack believes that not enough has been done since then.
“I believe we talk about it every year because I don’t believe we’ve been willing to resource it adequately,” he told Global News.
During a June council meeting, Knack said the city council adopted the new snow and ice control policy, but he’s hoping a proposed motion would have a long-term impact on how the city views snow removal.
The motion requests that the city administration present options for increasing the service standard in the city’s snow and ice control operation, considering the equipment, staffing, and budget.
According to Knack, the analysis should ultimately highlight areas where the city can provide a higher level of service than it presently provides.
“For example, local roads will not be treated for the whole of the winter – unless there is enough snow.” Is that still reasonable? “I believe the answer is no,” Knack stated.
“Because even if my car can get through, which it can, if you get a lot of freeze-thaw cycles, which we are seeing more and more of, that produces rutted roads and makes it difficult for people.”
The eight-term councilor noted that it is time to enhance the snow removal budget in a phased-in manner, although “we are still in severe economic times.”
Source: Global News
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