Burnaby business owners who don’t clear their properties of snow this winter could be slapped with a $400 fine.
At Monday’s meeting, city council increased the original $80 to $400 for industrial and commercial properties, to $250 for multi-family complexes and to $100 for residential homes.
The bylaw amendment was part of a larger package of changes to the city’s winter storm response plan.
Given the six heavy snowfalls between December 2016 and January 2017, staff were tasked with reviewing the city’s operational procedures to see what improvements could be made. They met with the Burnaby School District, TransLink, Coast Mountain Bus Company, RCMP, Simon Fraser University and the Burnaby Fire Department.
They found that the previous $80 fine did not appear to be a “significant deterrent,” according to a report from the city, with the worst offenders being owners of commercial properties.
Besides the hefty fine, bylaw officers will also be conducting early inspections of sidewalks in high-traffic areas, according to Brian Carter, the city’s manager of public works operations.
The revised plan will see advance clearing of all residential streets and laneways, along with priority 3 roads (residential streets).
“It’s a bit more targeted,” said Carter. “We’re going to lean on some of our hard equipment vendors that we utilize to assist us.”
The fleet will be equipped with a new tracking software to allow for “real-time information,” he added.
“It can tell whether a plow’s up, sanders are on. ... We can (see) all the diagnostic trouble codes on vehicles. It gives us a better visual of what’s going on in the field.”
When it comes to sidewalks, wheelchair ramps and bus stops, crews would normally wait until at least four centimetres of snow falls. Now, clearing will start regardless of accumulation, and those areas will be prioritized based on usage.
Carter said Burnaby is also increasing its salt inventory – from 2,500 tonnes to 5,500 tonnes – so it doesn’t run out.
Dave Ellenwood, the city’s director of parks, recreation and cultural services, said on his end of things, his department will be creating a digital map of all the hazards snow-removal equipment may run up against. That includes everything from curbs and speed bumps to catch basins. (Ellenwood’s team is responsible for clearing snow at all civic buildings as well as the sidewalks around parks.)
He told the NOW this will prevent damage to the city’s fleet and also provide some cost savings.
To ensure burnout doesn’t occur, Ellenwood noted there will be more staff on call this season.
The city is also in the process of rebranding all of its information, to better educate the public about their roles and responsibilities when winter comes.
Issues and concerns shared during the stakeholder meetings include: lack of snow clearing on local and secondary roads; lack of snow clearing in laneways; lack of bus service to and from SFU; a need for ongoing maintenance of sidewalk access to various civic facilities due to thaw and freeze hazards; and a lack of public information on the city’s snow-clearing efforts.
Some of the service challenges staff ran into last winter include: limited staff and equipment resources; clearing of snow piles; a limited salt supply; and post-winter cleanup (clearing sand/salt on roads, repairing potholes and the management of hazardous trees on public lands).
What others are doing
Coast Mountain Bus Company: The bus company has set up a snowy weather action plan, which, in part, improve transit service to and from SFU during inclement winter weather. Coast Mountain plans to switch bus servicing from SFU from 60’ to 40’ buses as available. The company also proposes to use a traction device called an AutoSock, a special textile fabric cover that goes on the outer driving wheel to help vehicles get traction.
Burnaby School District: The district activated its snow plan on Oct. 1. Maintenance staff are ready to be deployed 24/7 to salt and/or plow at 54 school and administration sites when required. The district, which maintains 40 tonnes of salt, has asked contractors to help in snow clearing if needed.
