Safety concerns have residents avoiding Brampton pathways

Some of Brampton’s pedestrian catwalks have become so overgrown and poorly maintained that residents no longer feel comfortable using them, according to a city councillor who is asking staff to find solutions.

Regional Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar, who represents Wards 2 and 6, raised concerns during Wednesday’s Brampton City Council meeting about the condition of some of the pathways that connect neighbourhoods and provide pedestrians with shortcuts to schools, parks and nearby amenities.

Brar said many catwalks across the city have become cluttered with overgrown brush, bushes and tree growth that encroach into the pathways, creating safety concerns for residents.

“Many of them have gone quite shoddy, and a lot of overgrowth and encroachment into the catwalks,” Brar 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 said some catwalks are maintained by the city’s Public Works department, while others fall under Parks maintenance, making coordination important when addressing issues.

She asked staff to put a greater focus on cleaning up and maintaining the pathways so residents feel comfortable using them as an alternative way to travel through 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,” Brar said.

City staff agreed to review the issue and work with Public Works and council offices to identify priority locations.

Staff said an audit of the catwalks will be completed, while existing service requests will also be reviewed. Areas requiring 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,” Brar was told by a city staff member 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.”

Brar said she will follow up with city departments on the status of the pathways.

In Brampton, the term catwalk is commonly used to describe pedestrian pathways that run between residential streets and through neighbourhoods, allowing residents to walk more directly to nearby destinations without having to use major roads.

While the pathways can encourage walking and provide important connections within communities, the city’s Age Friendly Strategy has previously identified concerns from residents about the condition, lighting and safety of some pedestrian routes.

Brar said improving the condition of the catwalks could encourage more residents to walk rather than drive for shorter trips.

The city review will determine which pathways require maintenance and what steps can be taken to improve their condition.