There is something very wrong with the snow-clearing process of sidewalks in Kelowna.
I clear my walks as soon as I can after a snowfall. An awful lot of residents don't shovel.
The city snow-clearing equipment does come eventually in some areas. They clear most of the snow, but polish and pack about an inch of what is left, creating a slippery, hazardous walkway.
The sloped driveway entrances are especially slippery, as the vehicles pack the snow.
It's interesting to see your dog slide towards the road. On the side roads again, some people clean really well, but again only some, and few roads have sidewalks.
The bus routes are ploughed and sanded and you can walk on those roads. The ones that are not bus routes become skating rinks that you have to share with unyielding drivers.
Most drivers are great, but it only takes one jerk to make it dangerous. The only solution I can suggest is that the roads be cleared wider and sanded to make a walking area. Again, you have to share with the vehicles.
The sidewalks adjacent to most commercial properties, churches and private schools don't get cleared until the city clearing equipment comes, and by then it is packed hard and becomes very slippery.
Gordon Kelly,
Kelowna