01-18-2018, 10:23 PM
(01-18-2018, 07:50 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:(01-18-2018, 07:39 PM)embe Wrote: Trying to get my head around the expectation for plowing snow off the sidewalks and how it would be much different than what's currently being done at the bus stops (that a lot of people are speaking negatively about).
Are the proponents envisioning a 24/7 sidewalk clearing service that scrapes right to the concrete and does multiple passes a day to keep it clear? I'll tell you now that's not gonna happen.
I'd actually picture it being worse, since most people would no longer bother clearing their sidewalks, since hey, the sidewalk plow (that we're all paying for) will be coming by... eventually....
Why is a 24/7 sidewalk clearing service so ridiculous an idea. We do it for roads...which are an order of magnitude larger. Yet we can't for sidewalks?
Also, all the data shows that the current situation is entirely broken, you cannot walk a substantial distance without encountering a blocked sidewalk, but every road in the city is clear.
This idea that just because a few sidewalks are immaculate, that sidewalk clearing is good must end. Sidewalks are used for more than just running to your neighbours house.
And what's being done at bus stops is a choice, to hold them to a very low standard.
I didn't say it was ridiculous, just trying to understand what the expectation is of the service. It is however, hyperbole to say the roads are "clear". Sure they've been plowed, but as of today (a few day after significant snow) there are still some streets that are marginal. If the sidewalks were plowed with the same attention to detail, similar method, similar results, a lot of people using sidewalks (kids, elderly, physically impaired, able bodied, etc.) might still have difficulty.
I've been in communities where the sidewalk plowing is done. Reality is some people who had previously shoveled their sidewalk (as soon as possible), just stopped doing it since "the plow will be coming by eventually".