Saskatoon may increase snow removal for areas with high number of senior residents

Saskatoon neighbourhoods with a high number of seniors may see snow plows more often.

Some areas in Saskatoon with a concentration of seniors residences might see snow plows a little more often.

Ward 8 Coun. Bev Dubois asked the city to explore the idea of enhanced snow grading and snow removal, which received unanimous support from her colleagues. Administration will report back with options.

“This motion is to have these folks be safer,” Dubois said.

She said there are both residential and priority streets with high density multi-story complexes which see a high volume of emergency and Access Transit services — and she’s heard of occasions this winter where ambulances weren’t able to navigate deep snow or windrows piled up in parking spaces.

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She’s hoping administration will be able to present some options for a concern she’s been hearing about for years.

“We would report back with the information that is readily available, maybe estimate some costs, and program implications, and then if council were interested in us really pursuing it, then we would dig deeper,” City Manager Jeff Jorgenson said.

One area where Dubois did not receive support from council was lowering the speed limit on Armistice Way. The small street off Preston Avenue has a number of retirement residences and high-rise condominiums. She said three seniors have been injured on the street in the last seven months.

Councillors opted not to learn about ways to lower the speed limit after the transportation department said lowering speed is not a typical way to increase safety.

“Generally speaking, we don’t adjust speed limits to calm traffic. We will use physical intervention, curb extension, speed humps, center medians to try to calm traffic,” Transportation Director Jay Magus said.

Residents can provide a petition to the city, where the city will look at a specific area and do some data collection and come up with a plan it can recommend to council, which may include lowering the speed limit.

“That policy provides the ability to apply some consistent engineering measures across the city as opposed to location by location,” Magus said.

Others didn’t want to create a rule for one specific street as opposed to a broader policy.

“I think I was given some really good advice when I started this job, and it was that we can’t make exceptions — we’re making policy for a city,” Ward 6 Coun. Jasmin Parker said.