City winning war on graffiti problem
Ray Martin, Cambridge

(Sep 5, 2006)
Cambridge seems to be winning the war against graffiti. In February, council passed its new anti-graffiti bylaw which requires that graffiti found on public and private property be cleaned within two weeks.

A progress report going to council next week indicates the bylaw is working.

"It seems to really be working well," said Laurel Davies Snyder, city core areas project manager. "The 14-day grace period hasn't been an issue. People see it as being a reasonable amount of time. We want to be fair with people, but that has to be balanced with the need to get the graffiti removed as soon as possible."

Staff from the city's community services department have reported seven incidents of graffiti, the majority of which have taken place in city parks. All graffiti was cleaned up by contract painters at a cost of $400 per incident.

Public works staff have reported just two incidents which have involved a sidewalk, walkway and bus shelter. Some of the clean up was done by staff and some was referred to either community services or Grand River Transit for follow-up.

Meanwhile, the city's building services division has received a few complaints of graffiti on private property since the bylaw was implemented.

Complaints are turned over to bylaw enforcement and staff work with property owners to deal with the problem.

They can even recommend companies qualified to remove the specialized paints that are used.

Davies Snyder said the bylaw is working, in part, because of the participation of various city departments, the public and police in drafting legislation.

"The overall goal is to keep the city clean," she said. "The police are very supportive of the bylaw because it gives them a tool to enforce these things."

By cleaning up graffiti quickly, the chance of a reoccurrence is lessened, Davies Snyder said.

"It shows that people care about their property and the community," she said. "If the graffiti stays, people will add to it. If it's removed, people will hesitate to be first to do it again."

While the city's new graffiti bylaw is working now, Davies Snyder said city staff will continue to monitor the situation and make further adjustments to the bylaw where and when necessary.

"We have been fortunate so far, but this is something we really want to stay on top of," she said.