04-18-2018, 08:37 PM
(04-18-2018, 06:25 PM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: Something I had heard from other cities was that their snow contracts typically run until early April, and some have gone decades without a non-melting snow this late. When the contracts end, the snow clearing gear becomes converted to construction kit. In order to get plowing back, you need to buy the time of the already-booked construction vehicles, and convert them from construction to snow and back again. So there's a bit of sympathy there.
I don't share your sympathy. For one, this largely isn't a city snow clearing issue...city cleared sections of sidewalks are clear, they were mostly clear Monday (Waterloo seems to be having more difficulty with this than Kitchener, perhaps they rent more equipment). But the point here is that city streets are clear, and sidewalks aren't. Peds will have to wait till the snow melts, as they've had too all winter.
This is an existential issue for me. Next winter, barring some political miracle...I will do something different...whether that's work out an arrangement with my employer to work from home most days, or buying a car, or moving to another country, I don't know yet, but I won't tolerate this treatment. I have the flexibility to not subject myself to this situation, but many other's do not have the freedom.