There’s a perception by many drivers that the city is not doing anything to keep roads clear in the winter because so many of the roads we drive on are covered in snow and ice and the ruts are growing deeper.
But every day we see graders, truck loads of snow and sand trucks driving around in the city. Some of the main streets (Ninth Avenue Northwest and Southwest, Main Street, High Street, Thatcher Drive, Saskatchewan Street) are actually in pretty good shape considering the weather.
But with about 150 kilometres of residential streets in Moose Jaw, it’s really small wonder the graders and front-end loaders don’t get around to all areas between snowfalls.
The city certainly could buy more equipment and hire more people to do more street clearing and snow removal, but we would have to pay for that. And this is not a city that accepts tax increases well.
The city is willing to go out to residential areas where roads are a little worse — maybe because the outlaying snow blows into them or a ruptured water main has resulted in deep, icy ruts.
And maybe that’s the best we can actually hope for if we want to keep taxes down.
Meanwhile, instead of expressing your frustration with the crews, try catching them at work at 3 or 4 a.m. when the winds are driving temperatures well below minus 40.
