Note: This story has been updated to correct an error in attribution
Some of Brampton’s pedestrian pathways have become so overgrown and neglected that residents are feeling uneasy about using them, according to a city councillor who is urging staff to find solutions.
Regional Councillor Rowena Santos, representing Wards 1 and 5, expressed her concerns during Wednesday’s Brampton City Council meeting regarding the state of some pathways that connect neighborhoods and offer pedestrians shortcuts to schools, parks, and nearby amenities.
Santos mentioned that many pathways throughout the city are cluttered with excessive brush, bushes, and tree growth that intrude into the walkways, leading to safety worries for residents.
“Many of them have gone quite shoddy, and a lot of overgrowth and encroachment into the catwalks,” Santos said during the meeting. “Some safety concerns where residents no longer feel safe travelling through them because of too much encroachment from brush and from bushes and trees.”
The councillor pointed out that some pathways are cared for by the city’s Public Works department while others fall under Parks maintenance, highlighting the need for coordination when tackling these issues.
She requested staff to prioritize cleaning up and maintaining these pathways so residents can feel at ease using them as an alternative way to navigate their communities.
“I was wondering whether or not in the season and moving forward, we could put some focus on maintaining and cleaning up our catwalks that people can actually use them safely and be encouraged to walk to different locations across the city, versus going driving or elsewhere,” Santos said.
City staff agreed to review the situation and collaborate with Public Works and council offices to pinpoint priority areas.
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Staff stated an audit of the pathways will be carried out while existing service requests will also be examined. Areas needing attention will be prioritized over the next 30 to 60 days.
“We’ll work together, we’ll do an audit; we’ll actually reach out to the councillor offices too,” a city staff member told Santos at the meeting. “If you have any ones that are a priority, we’ll look at the current service requests and we’ll put a focus on it over the next 30 to 60 days to clean them up.”
Santos indicated she would follow up with city departments on the status of these pathways.
In Brampton, people often refer to pedestrian paths as catwalks since they run between residential streets through neighborhoods, allowing residents direct access to nearby destinations without having to use major roads.
While these paths can promote walking and provide essential links within communities, past assessments by the city’s Age Friendly Strategy have identified issues raised by residents concerning conditions, lighting, and safety along certain routes.
Santos noted that enhancing pathway conditions could encourage more residents to opt for walking instead of driving for shorter trips.
The city review will establish which pathways need maintenance and what steps can be taken for improvement.
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