I am spending my sabbatical in St.John’s (NL), a beautiful and friendly part of the world. Here I am reading, preparing a new course, and writing overdue papers…
However, it is extremely difficult to maintain any physical activity in winter, not because of the weather, but because of snow clearing.
In St.John’s, snow clearing consists of shunting snow off roads and onto sidewalks.
Pedestrians must therefore walk in traffic. So, in downtown St.John’s it is far safer and more practical to drive than to walk.
It is *possible* to clear sidewalks, as this stretch, presumably cleared by homeowners, demonstrates:
But, turn the other way, this is what you find:
The sidewalk shown directly above is on Military Road, on the way to the Parlour coffee shop, where the walkability score is claimed to be 95:
The walkability score, in winter, is in fact zero.
Frankly, it is far safer to walk along the edge of an icy cliff holding on to a chain than to stroll to a coffee shop.
Richard Shearmur 