Snow removal crews in the Town of Riverview have endured a much different winter than the City of Moncton, despite only being separated by the Petitcodiac River.
For the latter, the past five weeks have included complaints of unplowed sidewalks, narrow streets and dicey roads.
However, in Riverview, staff say they’ve recently received a figurative pat on the back from members of the town council for their efforts.
Geoff Crossman, Manager of Public Works for the Town of Riverview, credits their crews on the road for creating a sterling reputation.
“Riverview’s fortunate to have a good staff that takes a lot of pride in what they do and their known for their snow removal. The guys work really hard at it put in lots of hours and just try to be as efficient and on top of it as quick as we can,” said Crossman.
In the last major storm, which brought over 50 cm of snow to the region, Crossman said they had to find a way to manage without a few members of their team.
As of Tuesday afternoon, all sidewalks have been cleared and they have already widened out more than half of their routes.
Throughout recent snow clearing efforts, Crossman said he has noticed more cars parked on the side of the road than usual, particularly from apartment buildings. While he recognized cars have to park somewhere while plows clear parking lots, it makes their job more difficult.
“People with contractors doing their driveway, pulling their cars out for the tractors, it makes it a little more difficult for us we have to go around a lot of parked vehicles,” Crossman said adding they usually have to go back at midnight for a final cleanup.
Trails
At a recent Riverview Town Council meeting, councillors inquired about the effects the winter weather has had on trails, with some hearing concerns that they have to go to Moncton to use trails.
In response, David Shea, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Relations, said resources for salting and sanding are only used on the riverfront trail per the town plan due to concerns over the potential effects on trails.
Shea agreed to return to council at capital planning time with recommendations to address the issue.
