Mattress on Hamilton multi-use bridge sparks furor

Residents were not about to this bit of littering while lying down.

Discarded household items tossed out in shared public spaces can be a frustratingly common sight in Canada during the springtime. On Monday, the Environment Hamilton spotted a mattress that appeared to be blocking much of the pathway on the multi-use bridge over  blocking the south side multi-use bridge the Red Hill Valley Parkway at Barton Street, in Hamilton’s east end.

Here’s a new one for you! Hoping @cityofhamilton can come and remove the mattress blocking the south side multi-use bridge over Red Hill on Barton! @BlockedinHamOnt #BlockedinHamOnt pic.twitter.com/XTkrIbksdu

— Environment Hamilton (@EnvHamilton) May 31, 2021

The bridge is used by many Hamiltonians, including joggers, recreational and commuting cyclists, and mobility scooter users. A large impediment creates the potential for a bottleneck and injuries if people moving in both directions arrive at the bridge at more or less the same time.

The City of Hamilton does pick up bulk items, including mattresses, for disposal. Residents must call 905-546-2489 at least one week before their regular pick-up day to schedule that. The city has also organize a Team Up to Clean Up program where an individual, or up to five people from one household, will each be provided with an orange bag and gloves to pick up litter.