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'I'm sick of it': Saskatoon resident says snow ridges a hazard

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A Saskatoon resident is seeing red over how the city clears the white stuff.

Kim Shalenko has lived in her Meadowgreen home on Avenue W for 17 years. Because it’s on a bus route, she says snow does get cleared there - but the aftermath is a problem.

"When the plows go by, they just put the snow anywhere they please. They block your driveway entrance, and it makes it impossible sometimes for you to get in and out safely. I’m sick of it, just sick of it,” Shalenko told CTV News.

Safety is an issue because of reduced visibility when she tries to pull out onto the street in her car because the mounds of snow are as high as her waist, she said.

The hard-packed snow that makes up these mounds is also an issue to clear by shovel, she said.

“We’re supposed to clear this hard rock snow? I want the snow picked up now, after two, three storms and a plow, pick it up,” she says.

She says she’s reached out to the city many times and the latest phone call did net a positive response, but then it ended up being a negative for neighbours.

“You can tell that when they plowed, that they were just piling it up on other driveway entrances.”

Under a city bylaw, snow ridge left across a driveway after street snow grading is the responsibility of the resident to clear, but in situations where the snow pushed by the grader prevents someone from accessing their driveway, the city will inspect the location and come back to clear it.

City roadways director Goran Saric told CTV News in an email that they’re moving into the snow removal portion of their winter program now.

“Snow removal begins when necessary to make room for the next snowfall, beginning with the highest traffic streets, then working through the priority system. We try to limit the number of times we remove the snow piles, as it involves a lot of equipment and costly trucking costs to pick up and haul away snow. It is more cost-effective to store snow along the street than haul it away."

School zones are being cleared now and then crews will move on to other priority areas. The city has asked Shalenko or other residents with concerns to contact the customer care centre at 306-975-2476 or send a picture to customercare@saskatoon.ca with a request.

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