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Pathway snow clearing pilot program set to fly in Markham this winter

Preliminary cost estimate for program is $14,000

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 6, 2020
Heidi Riedner

A new pathway winter maintenance pilot program will be part of the city's upcoming winter operations.

The pilot is the result of council’s annual winter maintenance review and is one of the ways the city is encouraging people in the community to stay active and explore Markham during the winter months, said the city's director of operations, Morgan Jones.

“We recognize that families will be spending more time at home this winter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we are pleased to offer the pathway winter maintenance program that will enable residents to venture out for some fresh air, while adhering to physical distancing,” Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said.

One pedestrian pathway in each of Markham’s eight wards will be cleared of snow, salted and sanded for the duration of the winter.

Based on an average winter in Markham, the preliminary cost estimate for the program is $14,000.

Pathway locations include:

A gravel pathway in Milne Dam Conservation Park from inside the McCowan Road gate to the east end of the parking lot will also be included as part of the pilot.
In addition to providing new leisure offerings for the community to enjoy, the city is well prepared to "tackle the elements" with its robust winter operations, Scapritti said.

City crews clear a network of more than 2,100 km of road for each winter event -- the equivalent of driving from Markham to Halifax, Nova Scotia -- and more than 1,100 km of sidewalk between 241 personnel on standby 24/7, 146 snow plows, 32 salt trucks and 53 sidewalk plows.

Six new snow removal vehicles were added to the fleet this year and work is progressing on the city's east operations yard.

Weather monitoring technology and science-based practices are used to monitor roads before, during and after bad weather to adjust to conditions, to ensure public safety and to limit the amount of salt being used.

“As always, we will continue to strive for service excellence to clear our roads and sidewalks of snow and limit the amount of salt used to ensure a sustainable future and to protect our planet,” Scarpitti said.

Road plowing in residential areas starts at the end of the snowfall when snow reaches 7.5 centimetres (the length of a bank card or three inches) deep, and is usually complete within 12 to 16 hours after the end of a snowfall.

Arterial, or primary, roads that connect critical services such as hospitals, ambulance, fire stations, police and GO stations are plowed first when snow reaches three centimetres (the length of a paper clip or 1.2 inches).

Secondary roads that serve schools, libraries, community centres, industrial and commercial areas are plowed next, followed by local roads and lanes.

Markham residents can check the status of plows using the city’s Winter Maintenance App at markham.ca/Winter.

Sidewalk plowing begins when snow reaches five centimetres (the length of a house key or two inches) deep, and is completed within 24 hours after the end of a snowfall.

The city also offers winter maintenance help for seniors and persons with a disability through its snow windrow removal assistance program, which helped 5,500 households last year clearing the pile of snow at the end of driveways created by plows.

You can apply if everyone in your household is a senior (60 years of age or older) or a person with a disability (12 to 60 years of age).

Residents can share their feedback on the pathway pilot at yourvoicemarkham.ca/Winter, with the operations team scheduled to report back to council on the program in 2021 for review and recommendation.