Why Boston can't be more Canadian when it comes to snow removal
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How many cars would we have to tow so we could do it like they do it up north? Photo: Sebastien St-Jean/Getty Images.
Everyone's pretty grumpy after the approximately 75 feet of snow* Eastern Massachusetts got dumped on it this winter, and that's leading some to ask the eternal question: Why can't we be more like the Canadians?
- A Boston City Council hearing last week revealed the city has long looked north to Montreal for guidance, but has never really implemented any of the Quebecois' masterful snow-removal methods.
Why it matters: Disability rights advocates testified that blocked curb cuts and unshoveled sidewalks this winter pushed vulnerable residents into active traffic. They say the city's snow response is just too car-focused.
State of play: The March 3 hearing, chaired by Councilor Ed Flynn, examined how Boston can improve pedestrian access and snow operations.
- Montreal came up more than once as an ideal standard.
By the numbers: Montreal clears snow across more than 6,200 miles annually.
- The Canadian city averages 75–83 inches of snow per year. Historic winters exceed 125 inches. Compare that to Boston's measly average of around 43 inches a year.
Zoom in: Interim Chief of Streets Nick Gove has seen the Montreal snow removal machine in person. He told the Boston council their signature method is to push snow to the center of the street, then scoop it into trucks for disposal elsewhere.
Of note: Boston sent a team to observe Canadian operations years ago.
- Advocates at last week's hearing weren't happy to hear that the city has yet to fully adopt the approach.
The catch: Boston faces structural disadvantages that Montreal does not. Boston relies on over a dozen temporary "snow farms" for storage, while Montreal has vast open land outside its metro area to dump snow.
What they're saying: "What Montreal has that we do not is a lot of space outside the city. When you get outside the metropolitan area of Montreal, there is plenty of room to dump snow," Gove said.
The intrigue: The real challenge, though, would be replicating Montreal's deeply ingrained one-sided parking ban culture that allows those massive machine to do their work
- The ban is triggered automatically once 5–6 inches fall.
- That would require a "significant commitment" to change local habits, according to Councilor Benjamin Weber, who's seen the Montreal snow removal machines in action.
Between the lines: Bostonians can't even manage to follow the rules when it comes to space savers days after a storm. There's little hope that Hub car owners will suddenly adapt to stricter parking rules.
What's next: The council is weighing several proposals, including a volunteer "Snow Corps," expanded use of large industrial snow-melters and stricter enforcement of property owner responsibilities for sidewalk shoveling.
*Actually 61.6 inches.