Discussions

is anyone else having a problem with the high snow banks at the end of your driveways? I am being forced to back out of my driveway blind as I can not see the traffic heading north. Also its been 2 weeks since any clearing of the 3 meters wide sidewalk, it is now buried in and hard to walk on. Reminds me of the walk/bike path that was never cleared in the winter.

This kind of stuff happen in winter quite often. No saying it won't get worse before it gets better either.

Back in.

I thought it was bi law that you have to keep your own sidewalks clean

specifically. It is listed under the building safety and property standards by-law. However it doesn't specifically state that city owned sidewalks must be kept clear of debris: including snow and ice. The way I read it, is that it is open to interpretation but doesn't specifially state an owner MUST clear the city sidewalk in front of their property.

As far as I know it is/had always been homeowners responsibility for sidewalk in front of their home. Having said that I tried looking for the bylaw regarding this and only fou d that businesses are required to remove the snow in front of their property by 10am next business day and home owners are strongly encouraged to remove snow from walk paths in front of their homes.  
 
Also semi related regarding snow clearing, it's an offense to move snow from your property or public property eg sidewalk and move it onto city streets. Just putting it out there as I see so many people shovel onto the streets/snow blow onto city streets.

It's actually in the traffic By-Law. The By-law you're stating only deals with private sidewalks. What you are looking for is covered by Articles 10.7 and 10.8 of the Traffic By-law.

Only businesses are required to. And they have to clear it before 10:00am, or if on a holiday, the day after.

We’ve had a crazy amount of snow this winter! Every time I shovel the heaps on my “lawn” get bigger.. I too am having trouble seeing around things. I try to pile more of my snow a little closer towards the house than the street so that I can see traffic. I also find the plows are leaving big piles snow at the end of my driveway when they “try” to clean up. I’m relatively new to the area.. do people hire companies to come take snow away?

I could never understand how it is legal to pass a bylaw making other people responsible for maintaining your property.  
Does this mean council could pass one making the property owners next door to their offices responsible for their upkeep?  
Would be interesting to see the outcome of a legal challenge. In the Uk you cleared in front of your property to make life easier for everyone but there was never a statutory reason.

have had a lot of snow and I think the city is doing a fair job keeping up.  
 
Yes, some people to hire a company to remove snow, but it gets costly as you have to pay for not only the machine but the truck to haul and dump.

They’re doing a great job of keeping the street clear, yes! Sorry, what I meant was they leave little piles at the end of my driveway each time. I feel like I am shoveling everyday these last few weeks!

Assume this is a pretty common scene around town right now but took this one on 9th South yesterday from the end of one driveway. If that car is about 4 feet high I'd say that makes the snowbank 6ish?  
 
Edited by Adam, 2019-02-09 10:42:16

Maybe the city should look at a sm  
now melter to alleviate problem of using so many trucks and fuel and machinery. Just a thought.  
http://www.snowdragonmelters.com/default.asp?ID=7

Can't find anything about snow removal from city sidewalks in front of personal residence.