Snow Removal – Is your Hedge Dangerous?
An incident involving a hedge and a Bombardier-type sidewalk plow occurred on January 14. As you can see from the photos below, the snow plow driver had a close call; with the weight of the accumulated snow, the structure of this hedge protected by a tarp was already leaning towards the sidewalk, and the top of the snow plow caught on the wooden posts, causing an incident that could have been dramatic. And this incident was the 2nd of its kind since the start of the winter!
It is important to know that the procedures in place for clearing snow from sidewalks with snow plows provide for regular passes. The snow is then either blown or collected, depending on the conditions.
However, the Town's snow clearing efforts mean that if the snow is blown, it is never blown onto the hedges, but rather at their feet, provided that they have been planted at least 3 metres from the sidewalk, in accordance with article 300 of by-law No.1441, thus avoiding damaging residents' hedges, whether they are protected by a tarp or not.
However, a number of hedges were planted before the adoption of by-law No.1441, dating from 2017, and end up very close to the sidewalk, as was the case in the two incidents that occurred this winter.
We would therefore ask homeowners whose hedges are planted within 3 metres of the sidewalk, and who decide to protect them with a tarp, not to use wooden or rigid structures in future when preparing for winter.
Given the snow clearance procedures in place, it is not necessary to shelter hedges with a protective tarp, but, if you do so anyway, please ensure that you use ropes without rigid structures.
In the meantime, if you have such a rigid structure framing your hedge, it is your responsibility to ensure that it does not encroach on the sidewalk and secure at all times. We want to avoid any type of accident involving these structures, whether for our workers or pedestrians, as everyone's safety is at the heart of our priorities.
If you have any questions on this subject, please contact Public Works by email at: publicworks@town.mount-royal.qc.ca.
