Icy sidewalks a slippery subject as city sets roads budget

Residents descended on Ottawa City Hall Friday to demand something be done about sidewalks that have become treacherous and impassable as layers of ice continue to build underfoot.

TerrieMeehantoldcouncillors on the city's transportation committee how herwheelchair has seen so much wear and tear this year it needs replaced. She said some friends have been unable to leave their homes, period.

"That's scary. I want you to really think about your most vulnerable citizens,"Meehanadmonished.

As our weather patterns change, people can't remain imprisoned in their own homes.- Coun. Riley Brockington

Councillorswere sympathetic, and saidtheir offices have been flooded with calls.

"The ice is incredible, it's really incredible,"Coun. RileyBrockingtonsaid. "We can't rely on the status quo. As our weather patterns change, people can't remain imprisoned in their own homes."

The city is boosting its snow-clearing budget by$2.4 million to $70.8 million, but as in previous winters, it might be too little, too late: Ottawa tends torun a deficit when it comes to winter operations, and thisyear is shaping up to be no different.

Within that winter maintenance budget, $9 million goes towardsidewalks each year, but pedestrians havenoticed this year has been especially brutal.

Standards slipping

Coun. Mathieu Fleuryhasbeen pushing for years forstreets and sidewalks near schools and long-term care homes to be maintainedat a higher standard.

"We're hearing more and more that that's the core of the challenge," he said.

City staff will review maintenance standards, which haven't been updated since 2003. The review should be completeand any changesimplementedby the winter of 2022-23.

"When the standards were done the focus on pedestrian movements wasn't what it is today," said Coun. Stephen Blais, who chairs the transportation committee. "Frankly, the focus on walking and cycling in the suburbs wasn't what it istoday."

Breaking the ice

The city is testing five new ice breakers to keep sidewalks clear of ice buildup, and officials say so far, the three-year pilot project is going well.

Winter maintenance spending is just one piece of the transportation department's$286.7-millionoperating budgetfor 2019 a $6.7-million increase over 2018.

Then there's the $290.5-million capital budget money set aside tofix potholes, resurface roads, build cycling lanes and slow traffic in neighbourhoods.

The budget for asphalt repair rises by nearly $1 million to a total of $9 million, while road resurfacing gets$49 million.

The city will spend $23 millionto widenStrandherd Drive from two lanes tofour betweenMaravistaDrive andJockvaleRoad in Barrhaven, a stretchresidents have branded one of the most snarled in the city.

Each councillor will also receive $50,000 a yearto install flexible sticks, speed boards and other traffic calming devices in their wards, $10,000 more than they got duringthe last term of council.