GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader, Dave Durbin, who expresses concerns about sidewalk shovelling:
Is sidewalk snow shovelling dead? Are sidewalk plows enabling us to live with messy, dangerous, unshovelled sidewalks for most of January and February?
I guess I'm finally at the age where I'm old enough to write a "letter to the editor" yet young enough to shovel my own sidewalk.
I guess I'm old enough to remember the "Be nice, clear your ice" campaign that was famous in Toronto (where I grew up).
I guess I'm young enough, and healthy enough, to be fortunate to shovel my own driveway, yard and yes, sidewalk.
I guess I'm fortunate enough that most days I can walk to work, navigating the tree lined beautiful streets of Downtown Guelph....and lucky enough that so far this year I haven't twisted an ankle on the messy, slushy, icy mess that is left when sidewalks are not cleared.
I guess I'm disappointed enough in our sidewalk plow program that I'm now writing in to ask for help.
I guess if I was running the program I'd allocate sidewalk plows to larger tracts of land that aren't "occupied" by those that can shovel and that I'd ask everyone else to "Be Nice, Clear your Ice"..... even the businesses downtown could likely shovel their own sidewalks more often.
I guess I'm asking that those that can.....be a good neighbour and shovel your sidewalk.....and if you can help the elderly neighbour too, how nice would that be?
Those of us walking would greatly appreciate it.
Dave Durbin,
Guelph
