THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro believes savings for the city could be lying right beneath residents’ feet.
The mayor questioned whether the city might be building more sidewalk infrastructure than necessary at council’s Monday evening meeting, requesting a report on sidewalk construction policies in a motion backed unanimously by city council.
“As I drive around and I see where we put sidewalks, my instinct is, ‘why do we need sidewalks on both sides of that street?’” he asked. “Why do we constantly need to be repairing all these sidewalks?”
Any money saved by a change in policy could be spent in places where additional sidewalk connections are needed, Mauro said.
The mayor was quick to acknowledge there could be legitimate accessibility or safety reasons for putting sidewalks on both sides of city streets, but believed it would be valuable for councillors to have a better understanding of the issue.
Charles Campbell, a manager with the city’s Infrastructure and Operations division, told councillors city policies require sidewalks on either side of arterial and collector roads.
Residential streets may have sidewalks on only one side, while they’re not required at all for very short streets or cul de sacs, he added.
The motion passed by city council calls for a report back on the issue from city administration by Oct. 26.
