As frequent users of St. Albert trails, especially Red Willow Trail, we are perplexed as to why St. Albert chose to sweep Red Willow Trail yet only plow the sidewalk connecting Red Willow Trail at bridge crossings.
The City’s snow and ice control policy, C-IS-01, needs to be amended to raise these bridge sidewalks to a priority 1 and get them swept. I was told that Red Willow Trail is a priority 1 to safeguard joggers, etc., yet for some reason the logic is that at the bridge crossings they can possibly fly across! I have previously written council on this matter after seeing a mother pushing a stroller with toddler in tow trying to negotiate the soft snow, due to the sudden change in sidewalk clearing standards. The best I got was a description of the policy and increased cost and time, but otherwise no other reasons were given for maintaining the different standards.
The crews cleaning Red Willow Trail are on machines and, ridiculously as it may appear, they have to stop, back up and turn around and go back when they come to priority 2 trails. It defies logic, yet it is just one of a number of issues associated with the design, location and maintenance of this city’s sidewalk network.
St. Albert sells itself on its liveability and walkable neighbourhoods, yet on closer examination it has holes. These bureaucratic holes need to be fixed.
Ken & Val Crutchfield, St. Albert
