Hamilton’s ‘oft-punted’ sidewalk-plowing debate gets another punt

Even if Bobcats were to plow Hamilton sidewalks, residents would still have to get their shovels out.

The packed snow the plows leave behind would still trigger a bylaw that obliges residents to clear them to bare pavement.

That might be lost on some calling for the city to provide a sidewalk-plowing service, Coun. Arlene VanderBeek says.

I don't think that's very clear to them. I don't think they understand that," the Dundas councillor said during budget talks Thursday.

That issue and others prompted city politicians to take a closer look at proposed options for a contracted sidewalk-plowing service at a future public works committee meeting.

I'm fine with another punt of this for this oft-punted item," Coun. Jason Farr said.

As it stands, the city only plows residential sidewalks in Ancaster, while in the rest of the city, people must clear sections in front of their properties within 24 hours of the last flakes falling.

A universal sidewalk-plowing program has been the subject of debate for years.

But last February, with a renewed call by residents for a city-wide service, council told staff to study the pros and cons of the status quo, an expansion to transit routes, and a program for all sidewalks.

In November, council kicked the issue to the current budget deliberations.

Staff estimate the transit route option would cost $1.48 million to $1.78 million more for a total price tag of roughly $3 million to $3.4 million. That would add $8 to the average household tax bill.

Clearing all sidewalks would cost $3.53 million to $3.78 million more, resulting in a total price tag of $5.11 million to $5.36 million, and $16 more for an average tax bill.

Sidewalk plowing allows you to get rid of those really large accumulations, so when we get a dump of snow of 20 cm, it helps," Edward Soldo, transportation operations director, told The Spectator Friday.

But a bare-pavement program could tack about $1.5 million to the above estimates, he said.

If council was to say to us, we want bare pavement,' that's a standard or level of service that they can identify."

That would require salt to melt the leftover snow, which isn't great for grass or well water, Soldo noted. It has quite an environmental impact."

It's also a logistical challenge. Bobcats are too small to carry enough salt to do the job, which means trucks following behind.

The plow blades must be set to float" above the surface of the sidewalk to avoid breaking them on cracks or slab lips.

Sidewalks and sprinkler heads can also be casualties, Soldo said. There's a lot of damage that you have to deal with."

If council decides on an option that leaves packed snow, they could revisit the bylaw that obliges residents to shovel to bare pavement, Soldo said. That's a discussion that I think we need to have."

But snow-packed sidewalks would be difficult for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, he noted.

That needs to be discussed with clarity," Coun. Nrinder Nann, a proponent for an enhanced program, said during Thursday's session.

If council departs from the status quo, it won't affect the 2021 budget and plows won't likely be on sidewalks until the winter of 2022/23.

But public works staff said they'd like direction soon" expecting a tender process to take several months.

A contractor would also have to line up about 90 pieces of equipment and storage yards, which will take time, Soldo said.

He said the earliest the sidewalk-plowing issue can make it to public works is the March 22 meeting.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com