When it Snows, Toronto Values Cars More than People
by Kate Trainor on December 26, 2007
Ten days ago a storm, dubbed the Great December Dump, left 26cm (about ten inches) of snow behind for Toronto residents. The snowstorm wasn’t out of the ordinary for an Ontario winter, nor was the city’s response. What do stick out, as the Toronto Star reports, are the values that lie behind Toronto’s efforts to make the city operational.
From the Toronto Star:
As we all know, the operation began with clearing the highways, the bigger the sooner; next came the major arteries. A day or so later, the city got around to the residential streets. After that, it addressed sidewalks not located in front of a home or business. Some of these stretches have yet to be cleared, but, hey, it’s a big city and first things first.
For homeowners and merchants, shoveling the sidewalk is a legal obligation, not that that matters to many.
The net result: some citizens have beautifully shoveled walkways, while many have deep snowdrifts in front of their homes. The city’s priorities revolve around making its streets car-accessible with little regard for sidewalks or bike lanes. As the Star points out, the government’s resources and the public’s money benefit only those with both the desire and the means to afford a vehicle.
Not only do Toronto’s actions smack of classism and serve as another indictment of the subsidies that pour into making car transportation viable; they also dump money into an impractical solution. As we pointed out in a
recent post about cars in snow in Boston, when the weather turns bad, driving a car is neither an efficient nor a safe choice.
In Toronto, rather than removing the snow, it gets pushed off of the road and into bike lanes, meaning the eventual melt will be further stalled for would-be bike commuters. As Toronto was broadcasting messages to its citizens to stay off the roads and not to drive, the city’s actions ensured that this was one of the few methods for navigating the streets.
Almost all of Toronto’s streets are completely clear. The bike lanes and sidewalks sit beneaths a thick layer of dangerous ice as a result of the snow’s thawing and refreezing. It will be quite some time before most citizens will feel safe riding their bikes, or even walking in some areas.
For safety’s sake (ambulances, fire engines, etc.), roads do need to be cleared. But to do so while completely neglecting other forms of transportation is irresponsible and ensures that people will continue to turn to cars for their transportation needs.
Related posts:
- Bike Parking Facilities Coming to Toronto and NYC
- Pedal-Powered Car Gets Pulled Over by Toronto Police
- Boston Cars in Snow: Going Nowhere
- Critical Mass Closes Toronto Expressway
- The “Petition Car”: Streets Are For People!