By Justine Kelsie

Clear sidewalks encouraged to help people with mobility issues

Nov 27, 2017 | 12:19 PM

Clearing the sidewalk in front of your home or business is a city bylaw.

Grande Prairie Enforcement Services Manager Chris Manuel explains that when we get a snowfall like the over 20 centimetres on the weekend, it is up to residents to shovel away snow from the walkways.

“The bylaw provision says that sidewalks in front of residences, commercial, and industrial sites need to be cleaned within 24 hours from it being deposited. That being said, we don’t have the resources within the city to enforce that immediately. We generally deal with that on a complaint basis,” said Manuel.

He said he hopes people can do the courteous thing and clear the walkways as soon as possible.

Spinal Cord Injury Regional Program Coordinator Mieke de Groot is advocating for those with mobility issues when it comes to the clearing of snow. She is hoping that people can keep those with disabilities and those that are in wheelchairs in mind during the winter season.

“When your street still has not been cleared and there is a lot of snow right next to the sidewalk, if there are people using the [disabled transportation] bus, they can’t cross. It is causing huge problems and big delays when people aren’t keeping their driveways [and walkways] clear,” explains De Groot. “The other part of that is that we do not need so many people taking [disabled transportation] when they can get to the [city] bus stop. The city is making sure the stops are clear from the street side, so people can load from the bus stop to the street. If people cannot get to the bus stop because the sidewalk is not clear, it is creating a headache for everyone.”

In addition to sidewalk maneuverability, De Groot says parking stalls in commercial business lots are a huge issue as well. She is hoping business owners can do their part to make their stores accessible. Right now, she is seeing snow piled up in disabled parking stalls and snow not cleared away from the curbs.

“We need to be aware that you’re really reducing the number of people that can come into your store when the parking spaces next to your store are not clear. The problem with keeping the main part of the parking lot clear and not the area next to the curb-cuts is that the people who need to get into the store aren’t able to. It is not safe to cross the lot in a wheelchair and the curb-cuts are there for a reason.”

According to Environment Canada, on Sunday there were 19.8 centimetres of snow that fell at the Grande Prairie Airport.