Alayne McGregor
A report on Ottawa’s winter walking conditions in 2022 concluded that it was often safer for pedestrians to walk on the road than on sidewalks.
In the 270 volunteer audits on which the report was based, streets were cleared more often (70 percent) and safer to walk on than sidewalks (56 percent), stairs/steps (56 percent), and ramps (51 percent).
The report was published by the Council on Aging of Ottawa as part of its Snow Moles program, which will begin its sixth year this month. Snow Moles organizes pedestrian volunteers – three-quarters of them seniors – to determine the safety and walkability of the streets they use between January and March of each year.
It’s a “winter-boots-on-the-ground kind of advocacy recommending a Pedestrians First approach to the city’s policies and practices as well as practical and doable solutions to common winter barriers,” the report said.
The 2022 audits came from across the city, including 57 from central wards. They also reported inaccessible bus stops and shelters, not being able to reach pedestrian walk buttons (32 percent), and sidewalks in bad condition with potholes and poor drainage. One reported that, “Some sidewalks in Centretown are not even, sloping and so dangerous for falls when covered in snow and ice.”
Ice was a big concern. “There were patches of dry sidewalk, but because of the ice on the sidewalk and the thick section of ice at the curb, it was safer to walk on the road instead of weaving on and off the sidewalk to the road. The ice at the curb was wide and that is why I stayed on the road,” said one auditor.
For those who had to walk on streets during an audit, “they consistently reported having no sidewalks or path (73 percent), too much snow and/or ice (71 percent), or the streets were plowed and safer (72 percent).”
Benches are important for seniors and those carrying heavy shopping, but the report noted that many are not cleared of snow. Only 48 percent of benches seen on audit routes were cleared.
“Right now, there are too many Ottawa residents who feel that if they have been fortunate enough to be able to go outside and safely complete a winter walk, they have won a major victory against snow, ice, and infrastructure. Accessible winter walking and safe pedestrian pathways should be widely and easily available for everyone, including older adults and people using mobility aids,” the report concluded.
“We look forward to the day when completing a safe winter walk is an ordinary and mundane task for all Ottawa pedestrians!”
The report made 10 recommendations, including:
- clearing snow to bare pavement on sidewalks in high density residential areas;
- better training for sidewalk plow operators;
- plowing for complete pedestrian trips; connect sidewalks to transit stops, connect corners and curbs to pedestrian crossings, and connect residential streets and roads to pathways and parks;
- removing high snowbanks on residential streets before they become hazardous to pedestrians and before they freeze into unremovable ice blocks;
- increasing the frequency of applying salt, grit and sand to roads and sidewalks, especially during freeze-thaw cycles;
- solving ice buildup problems caused by blocked drains;
- safe access to parks and community amenities (schools, seniors’ residences, medical facilities) in winter months;
- improving city collection of data on outdoor winter falls and injuries;
- clearing snow and ice from benches;
- improving sidewalk designs to a new wider and flat “Ottawa model,” without curb cuts for cars, to encourage safe age-friendly walking in all seasons.
The current city winter maintenance quality standards, which control which roads get cleared first and how often sidewalk and paths are cleared, date from 2003.
The report noted that the city’s Public Works-Environmental Services Department has completed reviewing those standards and will present proposed revisions and budget changes to City Council before next winter.
You can volunteer for the 2023 Snow Moles program at coaottawa.ca/snowmoles