Moncton to review snow-clearing plans after series of storms blanket city

Moncton councillors called for changes to the city's snow-clearing efforts after a series of storms left dangerous intersections, some sidewalks impassable for days and children walking on busy city streets.

"Kids should not be walking on the street to go to school," Coun. Bryan Butler said of students walking on the four-lane Mountain Road on Monday, two days after a storm dropped more than 57 centimetres of snow on the city.

Councillors during a nearly two-hour discussion Monday evening asked about whether the city has sufficient staff, equipment and a viable plan to address major winter storms.

Senior city staff outlined how a series of storms have led to difficulty with meeting the city's snow-clearing standards because of the duration of each storm, the amount of snow and human resource challenges.

"We're mobilizing all of the resources that we have, plus contracted resources above what we would usually have," Marc Landry, Moncton's city manager, told councillors.

He said the city will also review its snow-clearing plan.

That plan lays out a series of priorities using municipal staff for about half of the 1,000 lane kilometres in the city and contractors for the rest.

It also classes sidewalks into three priorities that set targets based on a storm that leaves 20 centimetres on the ground.

Under the plan, sidewalks along both sides of arterials like Mountain Road and near schools and hospitals are deemed Priority 1. The 137.5 kilometres of sidewalks are expected to be cleared within 24 hours.

The 66.8 kilometres of Priority 2 sidewalks, like much of High Street, are expected to be cleared within 48 hours of a storm. Priority 3 sidewalks, about 100 kilometresof sidewalks, are expected to only be cleared within three days.

• See a map of the sidewalk priorities

However, given the storm saw more than 20 centimetres fall, staff told councillors the standards aren't being met for several reasons.

Staff have been stretched thin by storms lasting longer, meaning more people are shifted to clear streets.

As well, spaces where those machines would normally leave snow as they move along are full of snow that in some cases needs to be hauled away to the municipal snow dump to make more room.

City staff told councillors that the city's first priority is clearing streets so that sidewalks aren't filled back in with snow. As well, employees who work on the city's 16 sidewalk-clearing machines are diverted to backfill on plow trucks at times.

Only six of the sidewalk machines were running Saturday afternoon following the most recent storm.

Deputy Mayor Charles Lger voiced concerns about intersections where drivers can't see around snowbanks until already in the intersection.

Coun. Dave Steeves said the city needs to do a better job communicating what its plan entails and setting expectations as residents have become frustrated.

"I'd like us to be more honest with the residents when we know we're in over our heads and can't meet their expectations," Steeves said.

Coun. Daniel Bourgeois apologized to city residents, saying a committee he co-chaired in 2011 on snow removal didn't go far enough in making improvements to the city's snow-clearing operations.

He suggested a plan more in line with what he recalled from living in Quebec City, describing sidewalks as having a greater priority and crews pushing snow into windrows in the middle of the street before being hauled away.

While multiple councillors questioned the city's snow-clearing plans, they repeatedly said it wasn't a criticism of those doing the work and thanked them for putting in long hours.

The city has budgeted $6 million for street and sidewalk clearing. It also has a reserve with $5.4 million set aside for years with more snow.

"From what we've seen,it's possible we'll be in a deficit and we'll need to go in and pull from that reserve," Jacques Doucet, the city's chief financial officer, told council Monday.