Am I being critical
of what's available to the public, sure. I hope the City
Administration takes this as a critique that will provide
clarification for the homeowners in Regina so they have clear
and understandable direction when it comes to snow clearing. The
City has a web page at
www.regina.ca/transportation-roads-parking/seasonal-maintenance/snow-ice-control/sidewalk-snow-clearing/
titled
Sidewalk Snow Clearing.
The portions below hightlighted in
green
are from that page. The portions below highlighted in
blue
are from Bylaw 9881, Part 3, that is posted on the City's
website.
Yellow
highlighted areas are my observations.
Sidewalk Snow Clearing
Winter is part of life in
Regina. Let’s make winter walks accessible for everyone.
Property owners are required to keep City sidewalks bordering
their property free of snow and ice.
Many residents face accessibility challenges from injury,
permanent disability, or through aging. Be a good neighbour and
help make our sidewalks accessible in all seasons, whether on
foot, using a mobility device or pushing a stroller.
Here is the basic information for property owners:
Property owners must clear sidewalks within 48 hours following a
snow event.
Properties located within Schedule
B of the Clean Property Bylaw are
required to clear sidewalks within 24 hours. This area is
primarily located within the Downtown.
-
The end of a snow event is considered to be when the snow
stops falling.
This flies in contradiction of the bylaw which states:
PART
3. SNOW REMOVAL 6. (1) Every owner of land adjoining a
sidewalk shall clear the sidewalk of all snow and ice within
forty-eight (48) hours of the time when the snow or ice was
formed or deposited thereon.
-
Sidewalks must be kept free from snow and ice buildup.
This is impossible and I could find no definition for
“buildup”.
Without definitions you've got nothing.
Create an even, walkable surface by clearing the sidewalks
to the edges
I cannot clean to the edges as the City snowplow has piled
snow on top of the edge where I live.
and as close to the concrete as possible.
Here it says “..as close to the concrete as possible.” The
bylaw states:
“PART
3. SNOW REMOVAL 6. (1) Every owner of land adjoining a
sidewalk shall clear the sidewalk of all snow and ice within
forty-eight (48) hours of the time when the snow or ice was
formed or deposited thereon.
Read the end of that
sentence in conjunction with the bylaw which states:
within forty-eight (48)
hours of the time when the snow or ice was formed or
deposited thereon.
Using the terms “formed or deposited” gives bylaw
enforcement the ability to charge a homeowner once one
snowflake falls. Not a good “discretionary” wording and I
certainly hope not the intent of council. Again, this is
contradictory to the statement
The end of a snow event is considered to be when the snow
stops falling.
Snow from sidewalks can be
placed on your property or along the curb next to the sidewalk,
ensuring it does not interfere with traffic. Do not shovel or
blow snow into the road.
I have a surveyor's
certificate for my property which shows my property starts 7
feet/2.1336 meters back from the edge of the sidewalk. According
to this, the Bylaw is telling me I cannot place snow on the
public property between the edge of the sidewalk up to where my
property starts.
-
Property owners that fail
to clear their sidewalk in the allotted timeframe could
receive a Notice of Non-Compliance.
-
If the property owner does
not remedy the situation within the specified timeline, the
City could take action to have the sidewalks cleared and the
costs applied to their property taxes.
Advancing into Section 7 of the Bylaw, it goes on to state:
Depositing Snow
7.
(1) No person shall remove snow or ice from any public sidewalk
by causing it to be placed upon any other portion of the
sidewalk, public highway surfaces or parking lane except as
noted within this section.
(2) No person shall remove snow or ice from any public sidewalk
by causing it to be placed onto private property other than
their own.
This negates hiring a company
to remove snow if it's to be placed onto private property.
This negates any volunteer from shovelling your sidewalk and
putting the snow on your private property.
(3) Snow and ice
removed from any public sidewalk may be placed in the area
between the public sidewalk and the adjacent property line as
space is available.
Technically, anyone moving snow from any public sidewalk MUST
know where the property is located, all the while when it's
buried under snow placed there by the City.
(4) Snow and ice
removed from any public sidewalk may be placed along the Curb
face provided the snow and ice does not encroach onto the
sidewalk nor extend more than 2.5 meters from the Curb face on
to the public highway or parking lane.
With snow plowed by the City graders up onto the edge of the
sidewalk, generally the “Curb face”, just how would an
individual determine where the “Curb face” is located when the
grader has left a mountain of snow and ice on/over the "Curb
face? Perhaps we're not all SAE/METRIC literate but 2.5 meters
is 8.2 feet. Quite basically the width of a parking lane.
(5) No person shall
place snow, ice, dirt or debris removed from private property
onto public property, including any street, except at sites
posted and approved by the City for public use.
I have a surveyor's
certificate for my property which shows my property starts 7
feet/2.1336 meters back from the edge of the sidewalk which is
opposite to that of the “Curb face”. A concrete driveway, which
I thought I owned, covers this “part” of the land. The land
itself is not mine, it belongs to the City. Can I move snow from
this portion of “the”driveway onto the City street in keeping
with subsection 4 above?
(6) Snow and ice removed from public property shall not obstruct
sightlines in violation of The Traffic Bylaw No. 9900 nor be
placed more than 2.5 meters from the Curb face on to the public
highway or parking lane.
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Today, February 27,
2023, I had occasion to conduct business with the City of Regina
at the
Elphinstone Street
Sportplex which includes the Fieldhouse, Lawson
Aquatic Centre, and Tracks Cafe. I would suggest there are
hundreds of people who use the east doors on a daily basis as
suggested by the fact there are many vehicles in the parking
lot. Below is a photo of the sidewalk, taken on
immediately when exiting the Sportsplex by the east doors.
Sidewalks the City cares so much about keeping safe. To quote
from the City website
"Many residents face accessibility challenges from injury,
permanent disability, or through aging."
It's fine for the City to dictate to its citizens on how to
conduct themselves but it does not follow its own advice.
Shame on the administration.
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