Many Hamilton sidewalks not clear of snow a week after storm, prompting concerns over accessibility

Several Hamilton residents say that sidewalks in their areas still haven't been cleared a week after a blizzard blanketed the city with snow, prompting concerns over accessibility and safety of those who need to use them.

Allan Bedford, a resident of Hamilton's Crown Point neighbourhood, said a 10-minute walk on Monday morning down Dunsmure Road showed that 22 out of 36 curb ramps near him were completely inaccessible because of snow and ice. 

The ramps allow someone in a wheelchair, scooter or with any mobility considerations to get from the sidewalk to the street without having to navigate a steep 90-degree curb.

"Those ramps are in place – that's the frustrating thing. The city has thoughtfully put those ramps there," he said. "They work well, unless you don't clean them."

Bedford wrote a series of posts on Twitter to get the attention of the city on Monday. He says the city plowed the street last Tuesday, but street corners have been left snowed in and have made it impossible for people with any mobility issues to use the sidewalks. 

Hamilton bylaws require private property owners to clear snow from sidewalks adjacent to their property. But Bedford said it seems unclear whether the ramps are part of the sidewalk or the street, and that the city has not taken any action to enforce clearing of the sidewalks in his area. 

Instead, it's been up to residents like Bedford to report intersections that remain inaccessible to get the city's attention.

Other Hamilton residents have pointed to pathways in various areas of the city that have been left uncleared several days after the storm.

Aalia Kesari uses an electric wheelchair and lives in the Locke Street area. As she works part-time at Home Depot on the mountain and needs to shop for groceries, she had a a volunteer "snow angel" shovel a few times last week and other days had to "beg people" to help clear the long ramp to her side door, and her driveway and sidewalk, in order to get into a DARTS vehicle, the accessible transit service in the city.

Navigating the short distance down her street to Locke Street for groceries meant using the road this week, as some parts of the sidewalks, especially the ramps at the corner, are not cleared, she said. 

"It's very scary," she said. "I don't go very far. I try to keep myself limited to the distance that I need to go." She says she's thinking she will "take a risk" Friday to visit Jackson Square shopping centre but that involves taking a bus, and bus stops are also an issue. 

"Often times there's a snowbank there and there is no where to get through it. It's pretty nightmarish," she said. 

Jeff Tessier, a resident of Kirkendall neighbourhood, said there is a long stretch of Main Street between Dundurn Street South and Locke Street South where businesses in the area haven't cleared the sidewalks of snow. 

He added that while he thinks the city has done a good job clearing bike lanes and bus stops, they haven't done the same for walkways. 

"Snow removal for cars and trucks is an absolute number one priority," Tessier said.

"Snow removal for pedestrians and people who use mobility devices and people who are walking their kids to school, that is not a priority at all. It's just terrible."

City to clear sidewalks on transit routes in fall 2022

After calls in recent years for the city to clear sidewalks of snow, council agreed to expand the city's sidewalk snow-clearing program in April 2021 to include 783 more kilometres along transit routes after winter storms. 

The changes, however, don't take effect until the fall of 2022. The city currently plows 397 out of the 2,445 lane kilometres of municipal sidewalks. 

The new plan will mean that the city will clear sidewalks on those transit routes rather than property owners. A city bylaw requires property owners to clear snow and ice on sidewalks adjacent to their property, but relies on complaints from residents to enforce it. 

Peter Sniuolis, acting manager of roadway maintenance at the City of Hamilton, said the storm on Jan. 17 was one of the heaviest snowfalls the City has received to date, which resulted in longer clean-up than usual.

Crews began efforts to clear sidewalks last week and, according to Sniuolis, all city-owned sidewalks were cleared and had material applied in the last few days.

"The City prioritizes roads, bike lanes, sidewalks and transit stops but addresses roads first to ensure that emergency vehicles have safe access across the city," he said. 

"Due to the heavy snowfall, road crews have had to clear snow and then shift efforts towards removing snow temporarily placed at the ends of streets and on some sidewalks. Since last week, the City has removed over 30,000 tonnes of snow from across Hamilton following [its] clearing efforts and is continuing this week."

For sidewalks not owned by the city, he said it's the responsibility of residents and businesses to clear snow and ice within 24 hours from sidewalks adjacent to their property under city bylaws.

An accessibility issue

Brody Robinmeyer, the project manager for the Friendly Streets project at Environment Hamilton, said snow on sidewalks is a major accessibility issue. 

"These barriers can seem sort of benign, like it's not a big deal," he said. "It's like, oh, yeah, you just step through this little walkway here."

"Whereas for someone else, you have to go a block out of your way and make sure that route is clear." 

He said the only short-term fix may be clearing the sidewalks as fast as possible. But in the long term, he hopes that there are ways to design streets to make them easier to navigate in the winter. 

"Is there a certain kind of material that could be used in certain areas that would be more cost effective than trying to hire an individual or an officer to enforce a certain clearing regimen?" he said.

"The big point is the way it stands right now is not sufficient."