Fighting City Hall

After a brief summer during which many of us enjoyed the downtown pedestrian mall and all the beautiful hiking trails, we are already back to fighting City Hall for basic justice and accessibility in the winter. Here is my letter to City Council about the staff recommendation on sidewalk snow clearing for the coming winter:

City Councillor Maggie Burton recently asked for comments on social media about the value of evidence based decision making. If there has ever been an issue in the City of St. John’s with compelling evidence to support changes, it is sidewalk snow clearing. There have been numerous surveys, studies, public engagements, media reports, discussions, petitions, protests and consultations. All of them have essentially said the same thing: the situation is dire. It is unjust, unhealthy and dangerous. Most of them have also made specific, clear and detailed recommendations about what we need to do to change this.

In 2015, Dr. Sharon Roseman and I presented the results of our ethnographic research on sidewalk snow clearing in St. John’s. At the invitation of Mayor Danny Breen, we showed our film, Honk If You Want Me Off The Road, to staff and councillors at City Hall. Our research showed that the lack of adequate sidewalk snow clearing had a very serious negative impact on peoples’ mental and physical health for up to half the year with ramifications for the rest of the year as they tried to recover and build up strength for the next ordeal. Our research also showed that this impact was largely on the most vulnerable people: children and young adults, single parents, people with disabilities, seniors, new Canadians and people with low incomes. There is an assumption that people choose to walk. On the contrary, people choose to drive. Most of those who walk have no choice.

More recently, just a few weeks ago, Dr. Daniel Fuller and the BEAP lab presented the findings of a larger scale quantitative study, also locally focussed and specific to St. John’s. Their research revealed that investments in walking would have major health and economic benefits. For example, if we invested $3 million annually over a 10-year period, the economic benefits would outweigh the costs fourfold. This investment would also prevent premature deaths and improve many health conditions. If there is one single thing we can do to make this happen, it is to make the city safely walkable and accessible year round through proper snow clearing of sidewalks, intersections and bus stops.

In the City’s most recent public survey, 92% of citizens and businesses supported prioritizing winter walkability and large majorities also supported investing more resources in sidewalk snow clearing. The survey found that more than half of respondents have to limit their activities because of inadequate sidewalk snow clearing and almost three quarters have been forced to risk their lives in the vehicle lanes. The condition of priority sidewalks was rated 3.6 out of 10 on average with post-secondary students (a group that is most affected) rating it 2.99. These are failing grades. 67% of citizens would agree to at least a small tax increase to improve these conditions with a further 17% being willing to consider it. Very substantial minorities also supported much higher increases.

The staff recommendation to be discussed at COTW is to change nothing. The same old excuses are given. I don’t need to list them. You all know them. “There is nowhere else like St. John’s.” Yet the City’s own commissioned report on snow clearing services in 2014 found five cities that faced similar challenges. Of those five, all but one cleared all or virtually all their sidewalks. That one (Saguenay) cleared 62%. St. John’s cleared 19% and now, six years later, clears about 23%. All of the comparison cities also started clearing earlier, removing snow during storms as well as after. Much of the limited clearing that is done in St. John’s is still useless because of lack of regularity, connectivity, ice control and coordination with street plows. The report had recommendations on how to deal with these problems but many have not been followed.

Last year, my colleague, John Shirokoff was killed because there was no cleared sidewalk on a major street in St. John’s with many pedestrians. Numerous others were injured, some with life altering consequences. Children cannot walk safely to school, a greater concern this year than ever with the challenges of Covid-19. People who do not drive cannot get safely to work, to the grocery store, to the doctor, to religious services, to visit friends and family. They become isolated, angry and depressed. We know this. And we know it does not have to be this way.

How much more evidence do you need?

Elizabeth Yeoman