North Bay Council Admits to Poor Sidewalk Management

snow_plowsThe city council has admitted that the sidewalks around North Bay are not of a high standard and that it is seeking to improve the situation under hard circumstances.

Snow has hit hard over the last month and snowbanks have formed around the city, while the sidewalks have deteriorated to make navigating tough. With more pedestrians forced onto snowbanks, the danger of a collision with a vehicle is greater, meaning more danger for drivers and pedestrians alike.

With accidents already higher than other times of the year, it is important for drivers to remain extra vigilant on the roads as pedestrians may appear from snowbanks without warning. Pedestrians are also warned to maintain safe practices, especially when crossing a street.

However, the city is saying that it has been overwhelmed, with crews and private plow companies unable to cope with the volume. The city has already stated it has spent above its annual snow removal budget, and still buses have been affected, schools have closed, and the sidewalks remain a problem.

“The condition of sidewalks around the city is not very good, we admit and realize that,” Tanya Vrebosch Chair of Engineering, Public Works and Environmental Services, stated on her Facebook page on Thursday afternoon.

“In almost every area it has been necessary to attach blowers in order to clear. We do not have enough blowers for each trackless so this process has been slow but unavoidable considering the amount of drifting that took place.”

Some residents are unhappy that their street remains un-cleared of snowbanks, while a nearby location where a movie is being filmed has been completely cleared. Vrebosch said the commitment to the movie was made before the accumulation and that it was something the city could not back out of.

“This commitment was made well in advance of the high banks and excess snow and at a time when we felt it could operationally be completed. We have told the production companies that we will not take any further requests as we have to deal with our own snow removal going forward. The commitments have been minor and are taking limited resources and times to complete.”

Winter Conditions Taking Toll on North Bay

SIGNS-ROAD-CLOSURES1Winter took a while to get started in Northern Ontario, but now the cold weather, snow, and blizzards are making themselves felt across the North Bay area. Indeed, the snow banks have increased and storms are causing huge problems on roads throughout the region, shutting numerous highways and even causing school closures.

Some of the crews working the city say the snow is becoming a real problem, especially the frequency of the falls in a short period of time. Officials are saying maintaining the roads with consistent snowfall is a hard task, as a cleared road is often covered again hours after it has been reopened. The city says it has likely already gone over its snow removal budget for the year, while general road repairs have been postponed until the weather clears.

A storm blew all weekend, bringing 80mph gusts of wind and heavy snow, blanketing the North Bay region in a fresh layer of snow. The OPP announced on Monday that Highway 17 westward was closed between Trunk Road to Walker’s Road near Thessalon due to poor weather conditions making driving hazardous.

Several hours later the OPP announced that the road had reopened, but another bout of snow could lead to more closures.

It is important to drive carefully in such wintery conditions, while using winter tires is advised. Ontario now has a mandatory discount on auto insurance premiums for all customers who install winter tires, so you will save money and potentially save your life out on the dangerous roads.