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…