Warning for ice removal

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

F them..I haven't been able to even cross the street since November.

That is brutal. Is it because those big piles left by the snowplows?

It took a crew of shovel-leaners about a week and a half to (and a bit of concrete) make my block wheelchair accessible. It has now been inaccessible for 3 months. 10 minutes with a bobcat would fix it.

[habernac]

keep 311 ing it, Gimp. You can do it online from their website. We had a problem with no one clearing the bridge sidewalk over the C train tracks at Southland. 4 or 5 of us messaged them daily for 4 days and they finally cleared it.

[JustAnotherGuy]

A bit of a different topic but similiar. I once got an notice from the city to clean up the weeds. The grass was too long and I have some minor weed issues. It needed to be cut but not neglected. So I phoned the city to honestly ask them where the weed problem was.

The guy said to me. 'I don't know. How am I supposed to remember all the places that I go to in a day."

I said. ' Are they in the back or the side of the house?' (The front was cut, no issues there)

He said. 'I don;t know'

LOL

So that weekend I made sure the grass was cut and pulled the 10 weeds on the side of the house.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Graders are the only thing that can get this ice off of the roads though. If you wanted the snow plowed, it should have been done months ago. The damage has been done.

I'm going to have to call you on that one. Like I said earlier I was able to clear down to bare pavement using a 20 pound wrecking bar and a shovel. Are you saying that a Bobcat or a front end loader wouldn't be able to do the same thing?

It all comes down to safety. FG can't leave his house because if he gets into trouble, he could die. I'm lucky enough that even if I had broken my leg (and not had my cell phone) I still am strong enough to drag myself crawling for help.

I have to agree with others- it isn't an equipment issue. The plows they used on the major roads- what are they doing now? What are the operators doing? What about the bazillion "bobcat for hire" signs I see all summer? It all comes down to dollars, and city council has decided that all our safety is worth $100. However if a landlord decides to sacrifice safety saving $100 by not having smoke detectors, all of a sudden that is a huge issue. However how many people's house will ever catch fire, verses how many of us have slipped and had a near miss on the ice?

[Gobsgraham]

Originally Posted by GGG

As for plowing the worst part of plowing talking to the Newfies at work is that when the plows plow your street they block the driveways with plowed snow. With narrow lots and double car drive ways the plows would have to put the snow in front of peoples driveways and then we would see posts on here about the plows suck.

While I empathize with FG and understand that some specific people need a better solution, I agree with the poster above. I have a friend in Rocky Ridge who had their street plowed (I have no idea why) and all it did was create a 2 foot high snow bank in front of all of the driveways and box in any cars that were parked on the road. How would all the people that didn't have garages like to spend two hours digging their cars out from behind the banks every morning after a snowfall.

I think in most cases, people's expectations and sense of entitlement are unrealistic. Deal with what it is and hopefully it will be another 5 or 10 years until this happens again.

[mykalberta]

I dont see why we just dont adopt Edmonton's policy.

When I was at school there their policy was once a year all residential streets will be plowed.

They gave about a weeks notice, and yet still you had cards covered in snow - it was fantastic watching those idiots come out and have a WTF look on their face of why is my car covered in snow.

Also, I am sure the cost of that is at least partly covered with the parking tickets assigned, as I saw a team of one parking official and 2 graders go down a residential street, once the tickets were handed out, the graders did their buisness.

[The Ditch]

I wonder who phoned you in? I have a crazy next door neighbour, old couple who have nothing better to do with their lives then pester me. Last year they phoned me in to city by law I believe 7 times (counting the warnings I saved). The funny thing is I am really diligent about cleaning my walk, and cold weather doesn't bother me. One of the complaints was ice on the sidewalk, clear it in 24 hours or it will be cleared at your expense. I think I had like a 5cm x 5cm patch of ice off near the end of my property line, laughed about that one.

[Boblobla]

More BS tickets from the city. Call you alderman, these tickets got revoked.

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

Some Calgarians had a rude awakening when they went to their cars on Wednesday morning.
The Calgary Parking Authority was out at 1 a.m. issuing tickets to around 10 vehicles parked the wrong way in Bridlewood.

Residents on the steep and icy Bridlewood Crescent routinely park facing the wrong way. "When the snow accumulates, it's impossible to start on an uphill incline and then start from a dead stop," says Donna Trimble, a resident who was ticketed.

"They don't gravel, it's icy, there are big ruts," says Jeff Currie, another resident who received a ticket. "I've fallen three times, so I turn the vehicle around because that's the only sidewalk on the crescent."

"These tickets should never have been issued in the first place," says Alderman, Diane Colley-Urquhart. Colley-Urquhart says the call from CTV News prompted officials to revoke all the tickets handed out on Bridlewood Crescent.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Gobsgraham

How would all the people that didn't have garages like to spend two hours digging their cars out from behind the banks every morning after a snowfall.

My mother lives on Ogden Rd and she needs to ( call me to ) dig her car out if she is parked on the street when it snows. It is part of life of living on a major street. You make sure you are off the street or you deal with digging it out.

Of course when the building next door to her decided to plow their parking lot with a bobcat and put the snow on Ogden Rd right in front of where she was parked, that was a bit extreme. She was boxed in from the side and front.

And as for a bobcat digging out ice and stuff that is on the streets now, I don't see it happening. Unless you have metal tracks and a very heavy machine there is almost no way you are going to do it, and even then it won't be economical. I have a hard time driving our companies bobcat on a little mud, let alone sheer ice, although we do have a wheeled unit.

A big front end loader like this might get it done, but it would take 2-3 times as long since that is really not what it is designed for. Given machine hours and labour costs, I would not want to pay for anything other than a grader to be dealing with the ice that I see out there.

[metallicat]

Ken, I'm at work (sanding sidewalks btw) typin on my phone, so I can quote reply to you. As someone who works for roadways here in Edmonton, I am telling you that city truck plows cannot deal with this ice and hard packed snow. You can't put pressure on the blades to rip up the ice. Sure bobcats and loaders can do it, but you cannot plow roads with them, it isn't realistic at all.

The only thing the city of Calgary can do, is increase the budget massively and hire graders. That is the only piece of equipment that can now handlebthis issue. And the only way you can get it all done is by hiring private contractors, which is very expensive, and that's if there are even enough private graders available for hire.

[Nancy]

You can't tell me it would cost me $100 in taxes to have my residential street plowed once per winter. There are 16 homes just on my short block. It would take less than 5 minutes, I'm sure. Even at $500/hr, that's still less than $2.50 per house.

The City also has no right to ticket private citizens, when the most heavily used stretch of sidewalk in our community, which runs beside a field and is the city's responsiblity, had been burried under 2 feet of snow for 2 months.

BTW, no one expects the ice to be removed from the streets. We just want the 12" deep ice ruts leveled out.

The Alderman need to set aside an emergency fund for once-a-year snow clearing. We don't need more equipment, we just need to run it 24/7 for those rare years where we have problems like we have now. Source out contract labour in advance.

It really depresses me that people say absoultely nothing can be done. What a fatalistic, beuarocatic, non-creative attitude.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I dont see why we just dont adopt Edmonton's policy.

When I was at school there their policy was once a year all residential streets will be plowed.

They gave about a weeks notice, and yet still you had cards covered in snow - it was fantastic watching those idiots come out and have a WTF look on their face of why is my car covered in snow.

Also, I am sure the cost of that is at least partly covered with the parking tickets assigned, as I saw a team of one parking official and 2 graders go down a residential street, once the tickets were handed out, the graders did their buisness.

Quoted wrong message

[ok, ok,....I get it]

Originally Posted by Nancy

You can't tell me it would cost me $100 in taxes to have my residential street plowed once per winter. There are 16 homes just on my short block. It would take less than 5 minutes, I'm sure. Even at $500/hr, that's still less than $2.50 per house.

The City also has no right to ticket private citizens, when the most heavily used stretch of sidewalk in our community, which runs beside a field and is the city's responsiblity, had been burried under 2 feet of snow for 2 months.

BTW, no one expects the ice to be removed from the streets. We just want the 12" deep ice ruts leveled out.

The Alderman need to set aside an emergency fund for once-a-year snow clearing. We don't need more equipment, we just need to run it 24/7 for those rare years where we have problems like we have now. Source out contract labour in advance.

It really depresses me that people say absoultely nothing can be done. What a fatalistic, beuarocatic, non-creative attitude.

I think the point is there would be other capital costs associated with increased snow clearing, purchasing of new/more equipment, perhaps hiring more employees, maintance associated with more usage of equipment, gas.....etc....etc.....that being said, I would be more than happy to pay $100 more a year if I could be assured my street and all streets would be cleared, hell if i could find a kid to clear my sidewalk I would pay him or her $100 a year to clear it.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

I wonder who phoned you in? I have a crazy next door neighbour, old couple who have nothing better to do with their lives then pester me. Last year they phoned me in to city by law I believe 7 times (counting the warnings I saved). The funny thing is I am really diligent about cleaning my walk, and cold weather doesn't bother me. One of the complaints was ice on the sidewalk, clear it in 24 hours or it will be cleared at your expense. I think I had like a 5cm x 5cm patch of ice off near the end of my property line, laughed about that one.

Every night take a bucket of warm water and pour it on their sidewalk and steps. Call the City in the morning. Repeat Daily. Damn old people!!

[Titan]

I wonder how many residential streets could be cleared for the cost of 1 pedestrian overpass?

I hate Bronco and City Council. I have a lot of empathy and respect for City workers, having been one myself. They are trying to do the job without the resources because Dave Mc######baggery Broncolookatme wants to create a legacy with our money.

[The Ditch]

Originally Posted by Titan

Every night take a bucket of warm water and pour it on their sidewalk and steps. Call the City in the morning. Repeat Daily. Damn old people!!

I've thought about it. I usually just try to be overly nice to them because I know that really annoys them.

[cyclone3483]

I will admit that I haven't read all the posts, so some of this might be fata (sorry). I have a few different thoughts (just my opinion):

-the city needs to add some contingency insurance. If there is X amount of snowfall within a given period, the insurance finances the extra required plowing. This would add some additional (not exhorbitant) cost for the insurance, but would protect the city in case we get another situation like we have now.

-the city should have a process whereby people of limited mobility can apply for special snow clearing status (for their property and the area they need around them, like the bus stop), so when any significant snowfall occurs, a shovel crew (or backhoe operator) will make a clear path for them.

-the city could also take their 'snow angel' idea a step further and use their website to match able bodied volunteers with people in their immediate area that might need assistance with snow removal. I often shovel peoples' walks for them, but you don't always know all you neighbours. Their could be an elderly couple or person of limited mobility right down the street and you don't know it.

-for those that have some $ and a significant snow problem, hire someone with a backhoe to clear it WITHOUT contacting the city. The city will tell you that you can't do that (stupid liability issues), but sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

-finally, if you are just a idiot that refuses to clear your walk, I am considering falling on your sidewalk, making it look like an accident, and suing you for everything you have. Get off your lazy a__ and be a responsible human being for once.

meh, my two cents

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by cyclone3483

I will admit that I haven't read all the posts, so some of this might be fata (sorry). I have a few different thoughts (just my opinion):

-the city needs to add some contingency insurance. If there is X amount of snowfall within a given period, the insurance finances the extra required plowing. This would add some additional (not exhorbitant) cost for the insurance, but would protect the city in case we get another situation like we have now.

-the city should have a process whereby people of limited mobility can apply for special snow clearing status (for their property and the area they need around them, like the bus stop), so when any significant snowfall occurs, a shovel crew (or backhoe operator) will make a clear path for them.

Those are 2 very excellent ideas.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Nancy

You can't tell me it would cost me $100 in taxes to have my residential street plowed once per winter.

No, that $100 was the price to do it 40 times per winter. I just left that number in there as I think the cost of doing it once or twice wouldn't be 1/40 or 2/40.

Originally Posted by cyclone3483

-for those that have some $ and a significant snow problem, hire someone with a backhoe to clear it WITHOUT contacting the city. The city will tell you that you can't do that (stupid liability issues), but sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

A few of us on the street talked about doing that. The guy who works construction and often brings home equipment for use in his yard said we couldn't use his stuff because if he starts plowing without a permit he could get a huge fine.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by ken0042

A few of us on the street talked about doing that. The guy who works construction and often brings home equipment for use in his yard said we couldn't use his stuff because if he starts plowing without a permit he could get a huge fine.

Years ago we had this guy on our street that owned a bobcat as part of his business. He made money on side clearing spots in front of peoples home so they could have a spot to park thier vehicles.