Discussions

Does anyone here have any idea or reason as to why the City plows the back lanes so much?  
 
Ours in particular has trees encroaching on the lane, massive weeds on the other side of the lane in spots due to negligent business owners, and garbage all over the place from homes being built on our street but the building company not taking the garage away afterwards. Our lane never has any washboard or ruts in it and now when we go to mow the other side of the lane there is a 5 inch difference from the grass to the lane. For any older folks on our lane it will be hard for them to lift to mower or deal with this. If they plow it then they should be replacing some new gravel for the back lane. Meanwhile in the Winter our main street is hard pressed to be snow plowed once a year....  
 
Edited by JustinfromMWC, 2018-07-25 13:20:26

Call the city and ask them

Sir, I have contacted the City many times about this and they always say "they will direct my concerns to the appropriate department" yet nothing happens. It's been 3 or 4 weeks now since they last told me that when I asked about why 2 empty fields in the city are nit maintained and cut regularly with 6 foot weeds, Still each year nothing happens.  
 
I'm wondering a=if anyone else has the same problems? Let's discuss.... After all, eBrandon's motto is "Connecting Brandon".

Right from the city website:  
 
"Gravel roads and backlanes are graded and gravel is added as required. A dust control suppressant is applied to high traffic gravel roads and backlanes that meet specific criteria for volumes of traffic."

Oryx said "Right from the city website:     "Gravel roads and backlanes are graded and gravel is added as required. A dust control suppressant is applied to high traffic gravel roads and backlanes that meet specific criteria for volumes of traffic." "

The city needs to check up on the public works department for the lane between Almond & Balsam west of 26th. They grade it at least once per month and have never added gravel or dust suppressant. 9 years ago when I moved into our home I could mow my grass behind the fence with a push mower. Over that time the graters have dug about a 2' hole and now I need to use a trimmer to cut that grass due to the cliff they have created. It is on both sides of the lane! Just diggin' holes! Make work project for the high salary city workers. Soon I will need a retaining wall under my fence to keep it standing.  
 
Edited by Tiger Barb, 2018-07-25 15:37:44

Tiger Barb said "    Oryx said "Right from the city website:     "Gravel roads and backlanes are graded and gravel is added as required. A dust control suppressant is applied to high traffic gravel roads and backlanes that meet specific criteria for volumes of traffic." " The city needs to check up on the public works department for the lane between Almond & Balsam west of 26th. They grade it at least once per month and have never added gravel or dust suppressant. 9 years ago when I moved into our home I could mow my grass behind the fence with a push mower. Over that time the graters have dug about a 2' hole and now I need to use a trimmer to cut that grass due to the cliff they have created. It is on both sides of the lane! Just diggin' holes! Make work project for the high salary city workers. Soon I will need a retaining wall under my fence to keep it standing.     Edited by Tiger Barb, 2018-07-25 15:37:44"

Agreed, We have the same problem here in the back lane if the 700 Block of Percy. Not sure about the dust suppressant but they definitely don't add any Gravel after they plow it. We also like to mow the back lane weeds and grass but are now having problems doing so with a 5-6 inch difference from lane to the lawn.

Tiger Barb said "    Oryx said "Right from the city website:     "Gravel roads and backlanes are graded and gravel is added as required. A dust control suppressant is applied to high traffic gravel roads and backlanes that meet specific criteria for volumes of traffic." " The city needs to check up on the public works department for the lane between Almond & Balsam west of 26th. They grade it at least once per month and have never added gravel or dust suppressant. 9 years ago when I moved into our home I could mow my grass behind the fence with a push mower. Over that time the graters have dug about a 2' hole and now I need to use a trimmer to cut that grass due to the cliff they have created. It is on both sides of the lane! Just diggin' holes! Make work project for the high salary city workers. Soon I will need a retaining wall under my fence to keep it standing.     Edited by Tiger Barb, 2018-07-25 15:37:44"

The city has been called numerous times to our alley. They grade it at least once a month and have never added more gravel. It’s so uneven now. There is s 4-5 inch step between the grass behind our fence till you step on the gravel. It’s a nightmare taking full garbage bins out and over it on the other side. Only our end of the alley has sucked down so badly, so it affects 4 houses directly. When it rains or snow melts, it all pools into our end of alley. They brought the vacuum trucks this spring as so many people complained, but they walked around with a stick seeing how deep it was, and left. Then all they do is come grade it again, instead of build this side up and level it all.  
We can’t mow either, have to use weed eater, so we don’t do it ask much. It’s an awkward area now. Luckily there is no seniors affected here yet, as it’s extremely difficult moving garbage bins back there!  
 
 
And this spring when we’d have a nice day, anytime anyone drove down the back lane it would shoot water up to our gate. When it got cold again, there was so much water around the gate, that our gate froze shut in the water! We had to walk out garbage around the block to take it out, then throw bins over the gate when empty and walk back around block for over a month!!!  
 
Edited by Cheezies, 2018-07-25 17:58:56

JustinfromMWC said "Sir, I have contacted the City many times about this and they always say "they will direct my concerns to the appropriate department" yet nothing happens. It's been 3 or 4 weeks now since they last told me that when I asked about why 2 empty fields in the city are nit maintained and cut regularly with 6 foot weeds, Still each year nothing happens.     I'm wondering a=if anyone else has the same problems? Let's discuss.... After all, eBrandon's motto is "Connecting Brandon". "

Send emails to keep track of your correspondence. Forward the emails pointing out how long you've been waiting for a reply. Send the emails to everyone from the CAO to Dept Heads and your city councillor and other councillors that may care what the city is not doing to help you.  
 
Don't give up. I've been given the run around so many times I've lost count but I keep on them. We pay taxes and they have to do their jobs or at least have legitimate reasons why they dodge our concerns.  
 
Years ago a few of us resorted to the Round Up lane maintenance just to keep the weeds down. We should send the product invoices to the city along with a reduced property tax payment.  
 
 
Our experience is, when the city isn't deflecting responsibility or defending their neglectful behaviour, some times things actually get done. Gotta keep on them!

I agree. I mentioned to them that we will have to install handrails pretty soon to step down from our fence to the lane. They said it was because our garbage cans aren't brought in so therfore this is why.. really, this is your excuse? The garbage bins are brought in always and, fact be known, the bins are put on the opposite side where, I might add, it is even ground.

My backlane where my parking lot for my apartment is paved to where 5th Ave ends near New Era School. Its heavily potholed on both the paved and gravel part of it. The City does eventually patches the potholes and does a bad job patching them. Yes, I have complained about the issue enough times about it. Having people (mainly parents who drop off their kids off at New Era School during lunch hour) speed big time down the lane to Louise Ave and school buses driving on the lane isn't helping matters.

laneway has been graded twice, once in June and once in July. They did a great job and also calcium was sprayed for dust control. So I for one am satisfied with the job they have done.

Tiger Barb said "    Oryx said "Right from the city website:     "Gravel roads and backlanes are graded and gravel is added as required. A dust control suppressant is applied to high traffic gravel roads and backlanes that meet specific criteria for volumes of traffic." " The city needs to check up on the public works department for the lane between Almond & Balsam west of 26th. They grade it at least once per month and have never added gravel or dust suppressant. 9 years ago when I moved into our home I could mow my grass behind the fence with a push mower. Over that time the graters have dug about a 2' hole and now I need to use a trimmer to cut that grass due to the cliff they have created. It is on both sides of the lane! Just diggin' holes! Make work project for the high salary city workers. Soon I will need a retaining wall under my fence to keep it standing.     Edited by Tiger Barb, 2018-07-25 15:37:44"

We have the same issue in our area...not far from you. I mow the back and when they plow, I just go out with a rake and level it off...easy fix.

I uploaded a couple photos in this discussion to kind of show what I mean about the step down. The bottom of the water bottle in the pics is on the alley part, compared to where the grass is. It’s the same on both sides of the alley, so it’s not fun taking full garbage bins out! You have to get it down our side without tipping, then pull it up the other side.

We also back on that lane and we're happy that the city has dug down the lane since our back yard is lower than the lane. When there was a heavy downpour or a quick spring melt, our basement used to flood but now it doesn't!