By John Chenier
A new sign has emerged on that part of St Andrews Street that is in The Wedge. The sign prohibits parking on the South side of the street from December 1st to March 31st. The reason: in the winter, the street is so narrow that service vehicles, including city snowplows, are unable to go down the street.
Because of its 3-hour parking limit and its proximity to the DFAIT buildings, during weekdays the street is lined on both sides with parked cars from the people who commute to work. Even in the summer when the roadway is at its widest, it can be barely passable for large vehicles and cars approaching each other have to take turns using the one remaining lane in the middle.
But it has been that way for years, why must it change now, you ask? Is it that the mayor attempts to hold the city’s budget for snow removal to an unrealistic level forcing snow-clearing standards to slip? Is climate change to blame? It is a bit of both factors combined with the normal forces we associate with progress.
Spending less on snow clearing means there is less equipment available which means longer wait times, especially for most residential streets to clear the streets. When it comes to snow-clearance and other city related tasks, your street has a category. If yours is category 1, congratulations! That means your street will be one of the first to be salted or plowed and everything will be done to keep it clear in the event of a storm. Of course there is a downside to living on a category 1 street; traffic, lots of it — including buses, ambulances and other vehicles that must move about, rain sleet or snow.
Most residential streets in Lowertown fall into the bottom category, number 5. That means they are the last to be plowed and, eventually, to have the snow carried away. Longer waits often means there is more snow to be pushed aside.
Here is where climate change enters the picture.. The amount of snow we receive over a year may be the same, but like rain in the summer, it seems to be coming in larger amounts over a shorter period. To move these larger volumes requires more powerful equipment. While snow clearing equipment has gotten bigger and more powerful over the years, residential streets have remained the same size.
In most instances that doesn’t matter, yet, but with streets like St Andrews, the time has come. St Andrew isn’t the only street affected in the City. Streets in Ottawa West have also received a similar designation. Nor, should we expect St. Andrew will be the only street to have parking prohibitions during the winter months.