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Snow plowing of essential services

Submitted by tmrinas on Tue, 04/12/2007 - 5:49pm.
Posts: 52
Joined: 01-08-2007

I understand that the city does not want to pay overtime on weekends, but this last snow fall was insane. The fire hall was not plowed out and the city works plowed the ambulance station in. I personally had to shovel out the ambulance driveway by hand just to get our ambulances on the street. If the city plows are going to plow in our ambulance driveway don't you think maybe they could at least clear the end out so we can get or units out.
Any damage to one of the units means no ambulance available to help people when they need it. If the snow bank is a foot thick and three feet high that plow driver is just purely ignorant and in my eyes a complete jerk.
Submitted by alba on Tue, 04/12/2007 - 6:40pm
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Posts: 160
Joined: 06-07-2006

That's absolutely ridiculous. I thought emergency services had top priority for snow clearing. I spoke to quite a few visitors over the past few days who couldn't believe the lack of snow clearing after they crossed the BC border from Alberta. What is the problem? We don't think we get enough snow to warrant clearing? The City doesn't allow enough funds for snow clearing? BC Highways doesn't want to do the work? Staff shortages? Equipment shortages or failures? As someone who walks everywhere, I think the lack of footpath clearing is even more laughable, and in many cases dangerous as it forces people to walk on the road with cars and trucks sliding all over the place.
Submitted by skiinginfernie on Tue, 04/12/2007 - 9:42pm
Posts: 716
Joined: 04-06-2006

i quite enjoyed driving around with the snow flying over my hood Smiling
Submitted by bob on Tue, 04/12/2007 - 10:01pm
Posts: 91
Joined: 26-10-2006

With regards to clearing out the Ambulance Station, I would get the powers that be in the Station to attend the next committee of the whole meeting and address council. I bet the problem will be fixed immediately. A forum like this will not get results.
As for lack of snow clearing, what are you going to do when it really snows. The last few years have been pretty low on snow in town and it is just a matter of time before we get some big snowfalls. The fact is we live where it can snow...ALOT and if you live here you must be prepared to deal with it and that means sometimes digging out your car for hours and trudging through knee deep snow. This is the only place I have lived where the town never shuts down no matter how much it snows. Snowed 95 cm once and I thought, ah ha no work... wrong, everything was pretty much operating normally except alot of digging cars out Smiling)))
Submitted by alba on Wed, 05/12/2007 - 12:53am
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Posts: 160
Joined: 06-07-2006

Oops, sorry, didn't mean to suggest that I don't love the snow or realise that it's something you just have to live with in Fernie.

It just kinda surprises me though, that for a town that gets so much snow, we don't really cope with it very well when it comes in terms of clearing it off the sidewalks and roads. I remember several times last season when it took 2-3 days for the windrows to get cleared off 2nd Ave, (not a lot of fun when you're trying to cross from one side of the street to the other and a shame for a town that is trying to promote the shop local idea) and most of the footpaths (where there are any at all) from 2nd Ave down to the highway were sheet ice...

Just doesn't seem very environmentally friendly to me that it's so hard to leave your 3l truck at home and walk around town...

On that note, I bought some Yak-tracks the other day and I'm a very happy walker now! Those things should be standard issue for anyone moving to Fernie. If you don't have any, get some now!

Submitted by bob on Wed, 05/12/2007 - 9:27am
Posts: 91
Joined: 26-10-2006

Yep, Yak tracs are the shiz. Actually snow removal is better now than it has been in past years. Previously no sidewalks were cleared. BTW if you have to cross the windrows you were jaywalking. LOL Smiling))))))))) I would neeever do that.Eye-wink
Submitted by alba on Wed, 05/12/2007 - 12:27pm
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Posts: 160
Joined: 06-07-2006

Hah! Wish that were true...did you ever have to cross from outside Movie Experts to Odyssey? Main crossing for 2nd Ave and it's like taking your life in your hands just trying to get off the footpath. Windrows, ice, swampy ankle deep puddles and huge trucks spinning their wheels at you.

Submitted by snowydreads on Thu, 06/12/2007 - 9:08am
Posts: 35
Joined: 06-05-2007

I don't know if it was early season snow shock, or if it is real, but the plowing did seem unusually poor after this past storm. The highway became treacherous, and town was a swamp. As for not decently plowing the ambulance and fire stations, that's just asking for trouble. Is is budget constraints, lack of workers or some other reason the roads are not addressed sooner and with more care?