With temperatures expected to hover above and below freezing tonight and through the weekend, City of Richmond salt misers were busy counting the grains to be rationed across main roads, ahead of what is expected to be another slushy week.

Meanwhile, many Richmondites are beside themselves that some fellow residents and businesses have failed to clear their sidewalks for pedestrians, after more than a week of inclement weather.

article continues below

The problem of icy sidewalks has persisted across the region, including, to a lesser extent, Richmond.

The city has a bylaw that mandates sidewalks of residential strata complexes and businesses be cleared of snow by 10 a.m. each day of snowfall.

This has not happened in many cases. For instance, resident John Lloyd said Great Canadian Superstore had not cleared its sidewalks, on No. 3 Road.

Sheer ice on these sidewalks at Superstore put pedestrian safety in peril.

On Facebook, residents told the Richmond News of other incidences. Mandy Malagon said she had to help a lady who had fallen in front of a TD Canada Trust branch. Susan Barnes said icy Steveston streets and sidewalks were dangerous for local seniors.

Notably, the city has no bylaw mandating detached, single-family home homeowners to clear their front sidewalks.

City spokesperson Ted Townsend said the city reviews its bylaws, when appropriate.

The city does promote its Good Neighbour Program, which encourages people to help those who may not be capable of clearing their properties. Furthermore, the city activates its Snow Angels Program during significant snowfalls of five or more centimetres, whereby it helps volunteer organizations connect with seniors with mobility issues.

Despite some instances of neglect, not everyone’s heart had turned to ice.

One senior with a walker was spotted by the Richmond News trying to clear a sidewalk ramp obstructed by ice at Elmbridge and Cedarbridge ways. Not speaking English, she appeared to indicate her age, holding up the numbers eight and four with her fingers.

Despite efforts by the News to help her cross the street, she insisted on helping fellow residents by continuing to chip away at the ice with a wooden plank.

On New Year’s Day, Richmondites Scott and Nathalie Stewart took ice picks and shovels to the Bridgeport legion hall, to clear ice and snow from its sidewalk and parking lot. After four hours of shovelling, a “nice young man” came along with a backhoe to help, said Nathalie.

“He saw us working away and said he had time in between jobs. We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re saving us;’ it was amazing; he scraped the parking lot and really helped,” said Nathalie.

Nathalie Stewart helped clear the Legion's parking lot on New Year's Day. Instagram photo

She said the newly-opened legion hall had not yet secured a snow removal contract. She said they have since offered one to the young man.

Some on Facebook took the ice in stride, however, noting such events are rare in Richmond.

“Compared to Vancouver, I think Richmond has done a great job on the main roads,” said Brian Matsumoto.

Furthermore, this is nothing to sweat elsewhere, noted Bradley Sullivan.

“Welcome to the rest of Canada.”

But this isn’t the rest of Canada, evidently, and municipalities, including Richmond, are faced with a regional shortage of road salt — leaving this city with just 300 tonnes of salt, which is applied as brine to main, arterial roads and then secondary streets.

Townsend said a long cold spell has depleted the salt reserves, which stood at 1,460 kilograms in the fall. He said a barge of salt is on its way from Mexico, but the arrival date is “day-to-day.”

After a light snowfall was expected today, the forecast calls for a mix of rain or snow into next week with temperatures bouncing above and below freezing, which could cause more treacherous conditions.

Snow plows and salt trucks, noted Townsend, have already driven 40,000 kilometres over the past month, which is ten times the usual distance, on average, in the same period. City officials estimate that the entire $492,000 snow removal budget for the season has already been spent. In the past two mild winters, the city spent a fraction of its budget, diverting some of the savings to tree watering during the 2015 drought.

Richmond has seen less snow over the past three weeks than its neighbouring municipalities, due to it being at sea level and closer to the ocean. In December, Vancouver International Airport recorded 27 centimetres of snow, while Abbotsford recorded 46.