{"id":12831,"date":"2012-02-26T12:35:54","date_gmt":"2012-02-26T17:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingmontreal.ca\/?p=12831"},"modified":"2013-01-21T11:15:23","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T16:15:23","slug":"where-have-all-the-snowbanks-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2012\/02\/26\/where-have-all-the-snowbanks-gone\/","title":{"rendered":"Where have all the snowbanks gone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photograph<\/a><\/p>\n

Having just spent an hour pushing two cars out of the driveway at a friend’s cottage, it seems like an appropriate time to re-examine some of our expectations about winter mobility. After all, the practice of removing the snow from the streets of Montreal is less than a century old: throughout the 1800s, sidewalks were shovelled by local residents and snow was packed on the streets, creating a throughway for horse-drawn sleighs (see image of Craig Street, 1869, above).<\/p>\n

With the rise of tramways, it became essential to clear the tracks and overhead wires<\/a>, the cost being split between the company and the City of Montreal. It wasn’t until the advent of the car that snow became a public nuisance.<\/p>\n

During a 1927 meeting (which, incidentally, took place in the Birks building) the Royal Automobile club resolved to lobby <\/a>the\u00a0provincial\u00a0government to inaugurate a winter road maintenance policy, prioritizing the King-Edward highway (now 15 South), the Montreal-Quebec highway, and roads with a 25-mile radius of major cities. The cost was to be covered with a gasoline tax.<\/p>\n

The following year, the decision was made to also maintain an open road between Montreal and New York city. A Gazette article<\/a> describes that the cleared area would be 16 feet wide (to allow 2-way traffic) and that 6 inches of snow would be left on the road to allow farmers’ sleighs to travel.<\/p>\n

By 1931<\/a>, Quebec was clearing 361 miles (581 km) of road: the rest of the network was formally closed to motor traffic. Today the province of Quebec is responsible for 29,000 km of roadways<\/a>\u00a0and Montreal is responsible for over 5000 km.<\/p>\n

Just another example of how the automobile has transformed our urban landscape, and our experience of the city in winter.<\/p>\n

\"Photograph<\/a><\/p>\n

Packed snow towered above people’s heads on the city streets (Beaver Hall Hill, about 1900).<\/p>\n

\"Photograph<\/a><\/p>\n

Clearing St. Catherine Street tramway tracks, 1901<\/p>\n

More historic photos of snowplows from D\u00e9neigement Montr\u00e9al on flickr<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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