What should be cleared first, cycle track or sidewalk?
Posted Dec 16, 2015 5:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
What should be a bigger priority for Calgary road clearing crews after a snowfall like what happened overnight: the cycle track or busy downtown sidewalks?
In one instance at the 5 Street S.W. underpass, the cycle track had been fully cleared, while the sidewalk remained caked in snow, making for a perilous trip for many pedestrians.
“It doesn’t really make much sense to have the bicycle tracks cleared and the walking paths nowhere near cleared. I mean there’s a couple of people on bikes but there’s a tonne of walkers, especially under bridge downtown,” said Erin, who was walking in the area Wednesday afternoon.
Brittany Kustra with City Roads department tells 660 NEWS the downtown core is considered a Priority 1 area that’s cleared within 24 hours.
“Because the cycle track is adjacent to those Priority 1 routes, we consider it to be a Priority 1 as well. So the cycle track is cleared with 24 hours along with those Priority 1 roads,” she explained.
Another pedestrian said it must be difficult to commute on the sidewalk for someone who is older or living with a disability.
The City says other crew members are assigned to sidewalks, but couldn’t speak specifically about why the busy 5th Street underpass wasn’t cleared sooner.
