As the snow and ice continue to pile up in Ottawa, pedestrians are being encouraged to take advantage of the many do-it-yourself grit boxes now scattered around the city.
The City of Ottawa is taking to social media to promote the use of these sand supplies.
Among the many tweets made daily by through the city’s twitter account (@ottawacity), some are sent to remind residents of the DIY grit program.
The program is the result of an effort over the past few years to make the city’s sidewalks as safe as possible in the winter. The City has placed 56 boxes containing the same sand used by snow operations' staff.
“The City does go around with the grit machines sprinkling grit, but they can’t be there all the time,” says Dianne Breton, who is on the board of directors of the Council on Aging of Ottawa, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of seniors in the city.
With the boxes, pedestrians have 24-hour access to grit to sprinkle on the path ahead of them if it seems slippery or daunting — which, as public health nurse Angela Milito says, can often be the case with Ottawa’s “treacherous” winters.
The boxes have been made available in areas located near steep hills and with a lot of foot traffic, such as the corner of Lisgar and O’Connor streets.
The large, yellow boxes standout on the grounds blanketed by white snow and feature a city logo that instructs passersby to “spread it around!”
The program was introduced as a part of the city’s 2012-2014 Older Adult Plan, which recognized that Ottawa’s “older population is changing, diversifying and growing in numbers.”
It reports that “by 2031, the number of seniors living in Ottawa will more than double and will make up 20 per cent of the overall population.”
The grit boxes are one way to make Ottawa a more age friendly city, according to the report.
“Seniors certainly know where those boxes are and they do use them,” says Breton.
Breton suggests that residents can even pocket small amounts of the grit to use throughout the day.
“They know about the boxes, so before they leave home, for instance, they may take a couple little baggies in their pocket or in their backpack and fill up with grit,” she says.
“If they’re getting out of a bus and there’s a slippery spot there they can just throw it on and then step down,” Breton adds.
According to Breton, the city stresses the importance of walkability and continues to encourage older adults to improve their balance and learn about falls prevention.
“We know that one in four people over the age of 65 will fall at least once each year in Ottawa. That rate will increase to one in two people over the age of 80,” Milito says.
When faced with a slippery or unsafe path in the wintertime, Milito suggests that residents, especially older adults, not only use the grit boxes provided, but also assisted devices. These devices include picks for canes and grips that can be put on boots for extra stability.