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Hands up those who think the City is doing an acceptable job cleaning our streets and sidewalks this winter. My hand isn’t going up. It is my impression that City crews work Monday to Friday but not on the weekend. As a result, the sidewalks this morning (Sunday, January 10) were a sheet of ice and extremely unforgiving. I found this out on a particularly treacherous section containing black ice resulting in a nasty fall. Luckily, no bones were broken. I hit my head and no doubt tomorrow there will be several bruises on various parts of my body. It could have been much worse if my head had cracked open.
Is it too much to expect that the City maintain the sidewalks in a safe condition for walking? Isn’t there a bylaw that requires businesses and homeowners to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks? If that is the case, why is the Voght St. sidewalk next to City Furniture not clear of ice and snow? That’s not the only section of sidewalk that hasn’t seen a shovel. The section where I fell was next to the Museum, and I assume that is the City’s responsibility.
I wonder if the state of the roads and sidewalks over the past few weeks had a bearing on the embarrassingly low number of votes – only 28 – Merritt received in the Gamestown 2010 competition?
Elizabeth Salomon-de-Friedberg
Merritt
Thursday July 29, 2010
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City not maintaining sidewalks results in nasty fall
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The City of Merritt does not maintain the side-walks by repair in town and NO this is not acceptable. Our community has many seniors and people with disabilities and the sidewalk conditions make it very dangerous to walk on.
I have tried to take my elderly father for walks in his wheel chair in the down town area and it's very dangerous and next to impossible pushing his wheel chair. The side walks have frost heaves, and huge cracks, the side walks are broken and un-level and extremely NOT SAFE for people in wheel chairs! The cement built wheel chair ramps on each street corner, which are built into the side walk corners were built without the proper angle or slope for wheel chairs to use safely.
Some of the side walks lean so much it is not safe to push a wheelchair with a disabled person as in some areas the wheel chair would become unstable and could flip over. I won’t bother writing the addresses of such side walks in this letter, but believe me Merritt has more unsafe sidewalks than safe.
I say shame on the City of Merritt - the sidewalks are in the condition they are and it's obvious that no repairs or side walk upgrades have been done for years!
I think for public safety, all side walks and wheel chair ramps should be fixed as the elderly and people with disabilities do have a right to be out and about within the community and should have access to safe sidewalks - during rain, shine, sleet or snow!
Beth Goulet
Merritt
Posted on April 7, 2010 @ 9:31 am PST | Report post to Editor | 3654186