A fascinating article by Brent Toderian in the design magazine Fast Company discusses five steps to making better cities. Step 4 is “doing the right things badly.” I’d say that’s where we are now with sidewalk snow clearing in St. John’s. We are doing it, at least more than we used to, but it’s really hard to stay positive when it’s done so slowly and so badly. It’s even more frustrating when you see money spent on other things that make far less (if any) difference in the quality of life in the city.
The sign in the photo above was posted on our street the night before last. No problem at all to drive or park on the street but a crew was sent out to remove the last few scraps of snow. Meanwhile, so many people are prisoners in their own homes because they don’t have access to sidewalks and are (rightly) afraid to walk in traffic. Even worse to know that those people are often seniors, parents on their own with young children or people living with disabilities and that they can’t get out even to get groceries or basic health care, let alone to see their friends and enjoy this beautiful city.
Yes, the city really is doing a better job than it did at clearing sidewalks but it’s still doing far too few and very poorly. That same day I walked along Empire Avenue — a very busy street with a lot of pedestrians — and there were still no sidewalks, ten days after the last snowstorm.
I also walked around a large block (Bonaventure, Merrymeeting, Newtown and Mayor). The sidewalks there had all been cleared but they still weren’t usable by anybody with a stroller or a mobility aid.
The sections that are still blocked in were left that way because the sidewalk plow couldn’t get past the telephone poles. But, for the huge benefit this would be for so many people, couldn’t a crew do those sections with shovels? They did a staircase at the top of my street that way, but that staircase leading to a tiny one way residential street is much less important than pedestrian access on major streets like the ones in these photos. To end this post with a view of what can be (and is!) done by a couple of people with shovels, here’s the staircase:
Road Rage 
Even people who drive must use the sidewalks at some point. So sidewalk clearing should be a priority. It impacts all.
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Also, drivers worry about possibly hitting pedestrians – another way it impacts all.
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As you say Elizabeth, they seem to be working hard clearing sidewalks. I see equipment working on sidewalk clearing all over town. I followed 2 sidewalk snowplows, a city pickup truck, and another large vehicle, clearing the sidewalks around the lake today. I don’t understand why it has taken so long. It’s 10 days after the storm, and according to the City they have been working 7 days a week clearing sidewalks. The City councillors really seem to want to make a difference. What isn’t working?
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