Calgary sidewalk, intersection clearing frustrating

It’s been a week since the City of Calgary activated its snow-clearing plan, yet some sidewalks and intersections still aren’t fully accessible.

Calgarians have gotten used to having to jump around puddles or climb over snowpacks to get around.

“For the most part it’s done pretty well, it’s just some of the finer details that get missed,” said Tim Schaefer, a cyclist from Calgary.

Schaefer adds the city can do better.

“It’s fine for someone who’s able-bodied like myself, but for someone who’s not, it kinda shuts them out right? So, they’re not able to get out and move about,” he said.

When the snow hits, Calgary’s snow plan prioritizes the major roadways and downtown cycle tracks, later focusing on more pedestrian-friendly areas.

However, intersections along Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail seem to be missed.

“The easiest thing to do is to just plow along a straight line, right? But it’s when you get to intersections… where you’ve got some finer details that need to be cleaned up for someone to actually use it. That’s kind of missing, and sometimes it takes several days before it gets cleared up, and other times it’s just, wait for a chinook to melt it,” he added.

Melted snow creates massive puddles, blocking parts of bike lanes. And when the temperature dips into the negative teens, the puddle becomes a skating rink.

“We should be designing things like sidewalks and pathways so that they actually work well in the winter time …  so if the snow melts, it actually goes somewhere else. And that actually makes it easier for the city to maintain,” Schaefer said.

READ MORE:

• ‘That’s not plowing for pedestrians,’ Calgarians frustrated at city’s snow clearing plan

• Calgary city repairs hundreds of potholes on streets

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The city wasn’t available for an interview with CityNews to discuss when Calgarians can expect the complete clearing of the missing spots.