Dear Mr. Doucet,

As I write this email I’m looking out my window onto the corner of First Avenue and Lyon. The snow removal crews have tried to barricade First Avenue with plows so that a grader can have exclusive access to the roadway between Lyon and Bronson. Cars are slipping and sliding to get around as a sidewalk plow tries to rock back and forth to block them.

It is 8:45 am. All traffic on First Avenue is trying to turn left and right. The traffic turning right is totally blocked with parents trying to let their children off at the Montessori school. Children of all ages are walking to the four schools in a three block radius and are clambering over and playing on the snowbanks that the crews are trying to remove. School buses are going every which way, and at the length of three cars they are gridlocking the area because Lyon cannot handle all the traffic from First that cannot now proceed to Bronson.

The grader operator is becoming more and more agitated and frustrated and operates his vehicle more and more agressively. A grader is not a vehicle that allows an operator a clear view all around the vehicle… not a truck that you want to operate while frustrated and surrounded by children.

Mr. Doucet, the snow should NEVER be removed from these streets during the day. I was surprised to see the yellow snow removal signs yesterday and sure enough, it was a very bad decision on someone’s part. The Glebe must be cleared at night. At night there is no OC transpo, no morning rush hour, and most importantly no children are playing in the snow that is being removed.

What is happening this morning is an accident waiting to happen. I understand that it may be difficult to handle the street parking issues during the evening hours, but the issues during the day are worse. At night operations may be slowed by parked cars, during the day they may well be slowed by a serious accident.

I urge you to contact the snow removal department and inform them that the Glebe must be cleared at night.

Sincerely, Colin Henein