Walking in Waterloo Region

[ookpik]

the City of Waterloo does a terrible job of snow clearing. Conditions were good for the most part in front of people's houses, and businesses did a fantastic job

In my experience empty houses (for sale, snowbirds, etc.) are the worst offenders. The same with construction sites and empty lots. For some reason owners think they don't have to clear their sidewalks if they're not occupying the property they own. Also shared residences like n-plexes where the landlord leaves the job it to renters.

As for the City, they seem to get around to sidewalks only after they've cleared all the roads.

An anecdote: A few years ago the city of Waterloo sponsored a walkable cities seminar for the public at First United Church (at King and William.) It had snowed a few days before and the snow had turned into slush by the day of the seminar. Halloran appeared to give her usual platitudes about her personal commitment to making Waterloo a more walkable/cyclable city and a more accessible one for seniors. I got up and pointed out that in my walk to the seminar I'd noted only two stretches of sidewalk that hadn't been cleared, (1) a section in front of a city-owned parking lot and (2) the sidewalks around the church.

If you're going to talk the talk, be sure to clear the sidewalks before you attempt to walk the walk.