In late December, I had minor day surgery scheduled at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre off of 140 Street and Fraser Highway.
Knowing I’d be there a couple of hours, I arranged through a mutual friend to park my car at her house, which is only a short distance away, and walk the 15 minutes to the centre instead of paying for expensive parking.
The week before, the Lower Mainland had gone through a series of snow storms. Being that a week had passed and the roads were clear, I didn’t give much thought to the sidewalks until I parked my car and started the walk towards the surgery centre. Much to my chagrin, most of the sidewalks were covered in compact snow and ice, making the trek rather treacherous at times.
After slipping and sliding a bit, I instead decided to walk in the half-exposed bike lane along 140 Street. The other half was covered in piled snow and ice.
Residents of Surrey: think about your neighbours and those who daily use the sidewalks and please clear the snow and ice in front of your homes. It was difficult enough for an able-bodied person to walk on those icy surfaces, let alone someone who may be disabled or use a scooter to get around.
And travelling in the half-exposed bike lane is risky. The cars along 140 Street swish by you at speeds of 70 km/h or greater.
With that, I would like to thank those homeowners who did clear their sidewalks. It was appreciated.
Sandra Steffan