Messy state of city back lanes

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This article was published 22/03/2022 (1457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a winter’s worth of heavy snows thawing in back alleys, people across the city are struggling to navigate through deep ruts, around blocks of ice and across pools of water.

Winnipeg public works spokesman Ken Allen said there have been 1,914 calls for service in March relating to back lanes.

The demand led to a decision to plow the city’s approximately 930 kilometres of back lanes in full, starting March 18 and completed as of Tuesday, he said.

However, Allen said the city will still be dealing with trouble spots throughout the next few weeks, as they arise.

“It’s a tricky time of year,” he said. “I was out in the back lanes doing a few different interviews the last couple of days.

“You can see the lane has been cleared, but it’s melting. That water is going back into the lane, and it’s freezing at night. It’s that freeze-thaw cycle causing problems.”

Morley Avenue resident Elizabeth Acosta thinks there’s more to it than just the weather. When she heard the beep of a front-end loader clearing snow Tuesday afternoon from her back alley, she quickly ran to grab a shovel.

“I’m clearing out the mess that they’re making even worse,” Acosta said, shovel in hand.

She said the loader had broken up the ice and left it there. However, the operator saw her trying to shovel the blocks left behind her garage, and returned to clear them away from her property.

Acosta said she wouldn’t have been able to do it herself. “Anybody driving with their vehicles are going to drive over the ice and pop their tires or something. Or it’ll take the undercarriage out.”

This year, the back lane is in the worst shape since she moved into the area 26 years ago, Acosta said, adding her daughter had got her Jeep Cherokee stuck twice in recent days.

Royal Avenue resident Cheyenne Hoplock said she was stuck in her back lane for 45 minutes March 17, as a group of about eight struggled to dislodge her car from a deep rut.

“I was stopped completely. My wheels weren’t even spinning, I was so stuck,” she said Tuesday.

Once the crew of helpful neighbours freed her car, Hoplock had to park on the street for several days, moving her car every two hours to comply with parking limits.

Hoplock said a loader came Monday to clear the back lane, which has made it at least driveable. However, Hoplock said the equipment dumped the snow in the alley, and the path is still difficult to navigate.

“I feel like it could’ve been done a little better,” Hoplock said, adding she understands this winter’s abundant snowfall may make the job more difficult.

Syndicate Street resident Meghan Lisoway said she’s given up parking in her driveway altogether.

“I’ve gone down a few times, and there’s just no way you can stop. And you swerve all over the place, and it’s just not safe.”

However, Lisoway said she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving her car on the street in front of her Point Douglas neighbourhood home, as she’s seen people walking along the street, testing door handles on vehicles.

Lisoway said plows have come through the area but that they did a bad job. “I’m very annoyed.”

Residents can request snow removal or clearing of frozen catch basins by calling 311 or by filling out a form through the 311 services section of the City of Winnipeg website.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca