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The City of Edmonton says its snow and ice control operations will pay closer attention to accessibility this winter, particularly when it comes to minimizing barriers for people with mobility challenges.<\/p>\n
In a news release this week, the city said accessibility is now a \u201ccore pillar\u201d of its snow and ice removal strategy. That approach was detailed in a news conference held by city officials at the Southwest District Yard on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe updated the city\u2019s snow and ice control policy to add accessibility as a fourth and equal outcome of our service, alongside safety, reliability and connectivity,\u201d Cheryl Fereday, the city\u2019s director of mobility infrastructure services, told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cElevating accessibility formalizes our commitment to inclusive mobility across all travel modes. This helps our active pathways team to work towards accessible winter walking, cycling and public transit where it’s needed most.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valerie Dacyk, the city\u2019s general supervisor of mobility infrastructure operations, said while service levels will remain the same, improving accessibility will require a targeted approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs with all of our active pathways, we are ensuring that pedestrian, routing and transportation in those affected neighbourhoods are done to a safe and cleared level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In response to this week\u2019s early snowfall, snow-removal crews proactively adjusted their schedules ahead of their standard operational timeline, city officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crews have been working a 24-hour schedule since Tuesday afternoon and will transition to standard winter shift rotations this weekend, officials said.<\/p>\n
Other changes the city is making to its snow and ice removal plans this winter are:<\/p>\n
Fleet optimization.Multilingual messaging to inform residents about operations.Increased communication with community leagues, school boards and business improvement areas to reach more groups affected by operations.<\/p>\n
The city said while service levels remain unchanged from last year, scheduling adjustments and fleet optimization will improve service and reduce the length of time that equipment may be out of service.<\/p>\n
The city will continue clearing areas in Edmonton according to its existing protocols for prioritization.<\/p>\n
Priorities are determined by a variety of factors, including safety, traffic speed and traffic volume.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s road-clearing priorities are:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Priority 1 – Essential roads like main freeways, major arterial roadways and main business districts. The city says these spaces are to be cleared to bare pavement within one day after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 2 – Secondary arterial roads, collector roads, transit routes, and Park and Ride access roads. The city says these spaces are to be cleared within five days after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 3 – Industrial routes and rural roads. The city says these spaces are to be \u201caddressed\u201d within six days after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 4 – Local and residential roads. The city says these streets \u201care targeted to be cleared within 14 days\u201d once a residential \u2014 or Phase 2 \u2014 parking ban has been activated. The city notes that \u201cresidential parking bans are declared as needed, based on snow accumulation. They do not occur after every snow event.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prioritization protocols for active pathways are:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Priority 1 – Core facility pathways, transit centres, LRT stations, wheelchair ramps and the Winter Priority Bike Loop. The city says these spaces are \u201ctargeted to be completed\u201d within one day after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 2 – City-maintained sidewalks, shared-use pathways, parking lots and bridge decks. The city says these spaces are \u201ctargeted to be completed\u201d within three days after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 3 – Manually cleared areas such as neighbourhood breezeways, public benches and fire hydrants. The city says these spaces are \u201ctargeted to be completed\u201d within 14 days after a snow event ends.\u00a0Priority 4 – Community sandboxes and safe mobility devices. The city says these spaces are \u201caddressed as resources allow.\u201dParking bans\u00a0<\/p>\n