Item - 2019.IE8.6

Infrastructure and Environment Committee:  

1.  Received the report (October 2, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services for information.

Transportation Services' winter operations program provides a variety of winter service operations including anti-icing, de-icing, snow plowing and snow removal to keep roads and sidewalks safe and passable. Each year, Council dedicates approximately $90 million annually to deliver the winter operations program, which is approximately equal to 1 percent of the City's overall budget.

With climate change and risks of winter events taking place outside the regular winter season, it is critical that Transportation Services continues to review and update service levels to provide a safe and reliable transportation network for all.

In addition, the public's expectations of the services we provide continues to evolve. With intensification and greater reliance on active transportation, the public expects access to sidewalks, cycling infrastructure and transit during winter months and the City's snow-clearing must continue to respond to this change.

In March 2019, following a letter and request by Mayor Tory, City Council requested a review of winter operations services including:

- A review of best practices and technology used in other winter cities;

- A study of existing service levels related to snow removal and whether or not they should be increased;

- The threshold for declaring a major snow event to trigger parking restrictions along key routes so those routes can be cleared more quickly and thoroughly;

- How to establish a zero tolerance system for vehicles blocking streetcar routes; and,

- The cost of clearing the sidewalks in the Toronto and East York community council area and a detailed look at the benefits of harmonizing the city's sidewalk clearing using a lens of equity, accessibility and safety.
 

Additionally, In response to broad-based public concern about winter maintenance in Toronto last winter, the Ombudsman and representatives of her office met twice with City staff from Transportation Services, 311 Toronto and Strategic Communications to emphasize the need for clear and accessible information on the winter maintenance program as part of any program review and next steps. 

Following this direction, Transportation Services engaged HDR, Inc. to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing winter maintenance services. Transportation Services also engaged Ipsos Public Affairs to solicit feedback from Toronto residents and road users on their opinion of the City's winter services.

This report provides a summary of HDR's recommendations and Ipsos Public Affairs' survey results. Based on this work, it was found that the City of Toronto meets or exceeds the winter maintenance levels of service for roadways, bike lanes and sidewalks as compared to other GTHA peer cities i.e., Brampton, Hamilton, Mississauga, London, and York Region. Areas of comparison include target road surface conditions, snow accumulation thresholds for snow plowing, target road clearing completion times, sidewalk clearing practices, and property owner responsibility for sidewalk maintenance. In addition, Toronto is one of only a few cities in Canada that provides a windrow clearing service. Furthermore, results from the Ipsos survey found that a majority (57 percent) of residents are satisfied with the winter maintenance services provided by the City of Toronto. The survey results highlighted the need to better communicate with the public about the services they can expect during winter weather.

Based on the recommendations contained within the HDR report, staff will undertake an equipment test using in-house equipment to mechanically clear snow from sidewalks in areas of the city not currently serviced. The testing will prioritize locations that are currently part of the senior sidewalk clearing program, where seniors and persons with disabilities can apply to have their sidewalks cleared manually by the City at no cost. During the test, staff will also undertake the development of an inventory of sidewalk conditions and encroachments. Furthermore, staff will implement an improved communications campaign to better inform the public about the services the City provides and the service levels they can expect during winter weather.

The remaining recommendations from HDR will be reviewed for feasibility and will be incorporated and reported back to Council in advance of the next round of winter contracts for 2022 - 2029.