From My Bottom Step

Readers of this blog may remember the small victory that was achieved by a group of White Oaks mums last November (’A Rare Victory for London Pedestrians‘). They wanted the City to clear snow from the pathways in White Oaks Park.

Unlike most requests by pedestrian activists, this initiative actually got past committee and was debated at Council, where it passed by a narrow margin. Staff was instructed to clear the pathway system as a pilot project and to report back later about what it had cost.

The pilot project was managed by Parks Operations staff in the Community Services Department.

It’s now come to light however, that staff did not respect the wish of Council.

In a written report to tomorrow’s Environment and Transportation Committee, John Parsons (Division Manager, Transportation & Roadside Operations) tries to excuse the failure this way: “The Environmental Services Department (ESD) did not have the capacity to include the work within their program as they remain focused on infrastructure within the right-of-way… The pathway is located in an unprotected open space and it was not possible or practical to maintain a pristine plowed surface because of drifting conditions and the challenges with inspecting for those conditions.”

Bullshit.

When the Corporation of the City of London doesn’t have enough budgeted money to clear roadways when there’s more snow than anticipated, the City doesn’t stop plowing the roads. They go ahead and do the necessary work and they creatively work out how to pay for it afterwards. And last time that I looked, most (all?) roadways in our city are ‘unprotected open space.’

Why don’t pedestrians get the same respect from staff and politicians at City Hall that drivers do?

Mr. Parsons writes that the pathway was only plowed for half of the season.

And although there’s disclosure that staff “met with a Council representative on site and members of the public during the winter season,” there’s no further information offered.

Secrecy about pedestrian issues in this city is nothing new, as anybody who reads this blog knows. Read ‘Chasing Info About Pedestrian Collisions‘ and stay tuned for an upcoming post about more Council/staff subterfuge with respect to what happened following my request for a Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

But the most outrageous part of Mr. Parson’s report is the following: “The maintenance of this pathway was a pilot project and the city is under no obligation to clear the pathway if it chooses to close it for the winter.”

So, let me see if I’ve got this straight.

Pedestrian advocates have to go through hoops getting their issues on to committee agendas, lobbying committee members to make/pass motions favourable to their needs, and then that process is repeated all over again when the issue gets to Council. And then, when a miracle happens and Council passes a resolution favourable to pedestrians and which directs to carry out a specific action, staff can simply choose to ignore it?

So much for democracy for pedestrians in the City of London, Ontario.