In The News

Winter snowstorms are out of sight, but the aftermaths are not out of mind.

First is the snow windrow problem. A snow windrow is the pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a snow plow has cleared the road. Markham resident Brinda Goswami is still feeling the frustration when the windrow barricades the end of her driveway after each snowstorm.

Presenting a petition at a general committee meeting on April 25, Goswami depicted the scenario of her typical day during a snowstorm. She shovels her driveway for two hours after work; she gets fatigued and sleeps soon after dinner; she wakes up in the morning and gets ready to drop off her children at school or daycare before work; she sees the windrow blocking her access to the street.

“I wake up very stressed, thinking of cleaning the end of my driveway,” said Goswami. “And we all know how tough it is to break that snow windrow.”

Goswami, who has lived in Markham since 2007, said many residents share her concern of being stuck in their driveways during wintertime, especially during an emergency situation.

“Can you imagine when you are taking your loved one to the hospital, which does not qualify (as) 911 but (is) urgent, and then due to the windrow, that emergency really turns into (a) 911 emergency?” she questioned rhetorically. “Snow (windrows put) us Markham residents into a very unfairly unsafe situation.”

Just to the west of Markham, the City of Richmond Hill has expanded its snow windrow clearing service to include 44,000 local residential driveways. In Richmond Hill, snow windrow clearing begins after road plows begin their routes and may take up to 13 hours to complete after the end of a snowfall.

Goswami is leading a group of residents petitioning the City of Markham to offer the same service provided to their neighbours in Richmond Hill. Over 3,000 residents have signed the petition so far.