Students concerned about icy sidewalks

Halifax sidewalks make it risky to get to class

Sidewalks like this one in south end Halifax have students slipping all the way to school. Photo: Edana Robitaille

Sidewalks around university campuses in the city are treacherous for students lately. Snow and ice have made walking to school, even just the walk from the bus stop, a hazard.

Heather Danch, a third-year health promotion student at Dalhousie University thinks the icy sidewalks that surround the campus pose a huge risk.

"I find the ones around Dal aren't too bad, but as soon as you step outside of the main on-campus area it is like a skating rink in most places. I feel bad for anyone with mobility issues or anyone who is elderly, because it was hard enough for me, a young student, to walk from the bus stop the other day," she says

Councillor Sue Uteck for District 13, which encompasses Dal, SMU and King's, says it's been a bad year for sidewalks. She says the best way to clear the sidewalks is to shovel them by hand and the city just doesn't have the money or resources to do that.

She says some residents in the district have been complaining that the city is not following its own bylaw.

"People expect us to adhere to certain standards and we're not meeting those standards," she says "If you can't get down to bare pavement, you have to sand and salt as much as possible"

While there is some salt and sand on the sidewalks, it's not enough to make the walking easy. Danch says salting isn't being done properly.

"The last snowfall was long enough ago that this shouldn't even be an issue right now. I have seen salt trucks driving up and down the roads not dropping any salt whatsoever,"

The existing bylaw regarding sidewalks states that all sidewalks owned by the HRM must be cleared within 36 hours after a snowfall. However, sidewalks in front of privately owned homes must be cleared within 12 hours or the resident faces a fine of $220. In 2008 there were 1,500 potential cases but only 50 tickets issued.

"I've never heard of anyone getting a fine"

Claire Dykhuis, a fourth-year international development studies student at Dal, has a difficult walk to school but she doesn't think the city is the only factor to blame. She thinks bylaw officers need to enforce the rules.

"I slip and slide every day, but I've never heard of anyone getting a fine, whereas I do know of university students around Dal who have for not shoveling once. I want to call HRM or the police, whoever deals with it," she says

Councillor Linda Mosher called for council to improve their standards for clearing sidewalks of snow and ice at the city council meeting Tuesday in Halifax. People in her riding of Purcell's Cove and Armdale have complained about the state of the sidewalks too. Mosher proposed to council last night that the city match their standards with ones expected of Haligonians

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