Winter Walking and Cycling

[danbrotherston]

Isn't it true that the city has in the past used a lack of complaints as a justification to continue with the current sidewalk clearing policy? If the number of complaints has gone up dramatically, maybe it's time to rethink things.

I think they believed there would be more complaints if they did sidewalk clearing.

Of course the complaints would be more of the matter of "oh my god, your plow destroyed my grass, I'm a wealthy homeowner, I WANT SATISFACTION", and less of the "I'm a vulnerable person in the region, and I'm trapped in my house, because I don't drive an the sidewalk is unclear" and "I'm going to die now, because I'm a senior and I fell and broke my hip on the uncleared sidewalk"....of course, one of those complaints seem to matter more than the other, and frankly, I don't think the priority is in the right direction. But regardless, they didn't actually consider the type and nature of the complaint in the report which claimed complaints would increase.

Regardless, I don't think they'd actually care, complaints aren't the thing. Some councillors would like to do city clearing, but don't know how to make it happen in the face of the costs. Others oppose it because they have convinced themselves that city clearing would be worse, despite all the evidence to the contrary.