‘Unfairly unsafe situation’: Markham residents petition for snow windrow service to resolve winter nuisance

City-wide winter windrow removal program to be reviewed on June 19

Yorkregion.com
May 10, 2023
Yoyo Yan

Winter snowstorms are out of sight, but the aftermaths are not out of mind.

First is the snow windrow problem. A snow windrow is the pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a snow plow has cleared the road. Markham resident Brinda Goswami is still feeling the frustration when the windrow barricades the end of her driveway after each snowstorm.

Presenting a petition at a general committee meeting on April 25, Goswami depicted the scenario of her typical day during a snowstorm. She shovels her driveway for two hours after work; she gets fatigued and sleeps soon after dinner; she wakes up in the morning and gets ready to drop off her children at school or daycare before work; she sees the windrow blocking her access to the street.

“I wake up very stressed, thinking of cleaning the end of my driveway,” said Goswami. “And we all know how tough it is to break that snow windrow.”

Goswami, who has lived in Markham since 2007, said many residents share her concern of being stuck in their driveways during wintertime, especially during an emergency situation.

“Can you imagine when you are taking your loved one to the hospital, which does not qualify (as) 911 but (is) urgent, and then due to the windrow, that emergency really turns into (a) 911 emergency?” she questioned rhetorically. “Snow (windrows put) us Markham residents into a very unfairly unsafe situation.”

Just to the west of Markham, the City of Richmond Hill has expanded its snow windrow clearing service to include 44,000 local residential driveways. In Richmond Hill, snow windrow clearing begins after road plows begin their routes and may take up to 13 hours to complete after the end of a snowfall.

Goswami is leading a group of residents petitioning the City of Markham to offer the same service provided to their neighbours in Richmond Hill. Over 3,000 residents have signed the petition so far.

Currently, the City of Markham offers the windrow service to seniors and disabled residents who don’t have anyone in their household between the ages of 12 to 60 who is able to shovel their driveway.

“Why do I have to be eligible for a service that is required as a result of the blockage created by the city plows?” asked Goswami.

“It is as simple as, if the municipal snow plows create the mess, they need to clean it,” she said, urging the city to make snow windrow removal services available to all Markham residents as of winter 2023-24.

Ward 7 Councillor Juanita Nathan acknowledges the frustration of residents. “All councillors are aware of the issues created by winter, particularly this winter, it was very brutal,” she said.

Markham’s winter maintenance service, including the city-wide winter windrow removal program, will be reviewed with council on June 19, according to Alice Lam, the city’s director of operations.

Ward 1 Councillor Keith Irish, also the committee chair, believes it’s good timing to discuss winter “discomfort and nuisance” in warm weather. “It tends to take the emotion out of the debate and we can look at things very rationally,” he said.

But snow windrows are not the only aftermath that snow plows leave behind.

Donna Ping, who has lived in Markham for 23 years, believes that the damage done by snow plows this winter is the worst she has ever seen.

According to Ping, lawns are being torn up all over the neighbourhoods so badly that only re-sodding will fix them; street signs, including stop signs, have been knocked over at many corners, making for potentially dangerous situations; and the water shut-off valve on her front lawn was even ripped out of the ground.

“It seems snow plow drivers have run amok this winter and are either blind, just don’t care or need extensive training,” said Ping.

Ping pleads that the city needs to do a better job in hiring qualified persons and holding them accountable. The city has lately repaired the damages to her property, Ping said.