After one of the worst winters for cold and snow in decades, the city hopes to be better prepared this winter season.
“Last year was not without it’s challenges,” said Sean Somers of the roads department at a news conference Thursday. “We saw large stretches of abnormal cold that stuck around for weeks. There was snow every day.”
“The bad news is, that might happen again. The good news is, we’re better prepared.”
Here’s what the city is doing:
On-demand contractors
The city will have the option of hiring on-demand contractors during an extreme snow event to avoid last year’s road clearing backlog.
City crews will continue to deal with priority one routes which include major roadways such as Glenmore Trail and Crowchild Trail. City crews will also deal with priority two routes which include feeder roads such as Acadia Drive and Kensington Road.
Contractors will now be called in to handle priority three and four routes which include roads with curves and hills.
Snow fences
Last winter massive drifts of snow piled up in several northeast Calgary neighbourhoods with some residents unable to drive out of their communities. Those communities included Skyview Ranch, Redstone and Saddleridge.
This winter the city has hired a contractor to install 30 kilometres of snow fencing, primarily in the northeast.
Snow routes
When a snow route parking ban is declared, Drivers who are caught parking along a snow route during a snow event will be ticketed. There will be no more warnings.
Drivers will be handed a $75 fine which drops to $40 if paid within 10 days.
The city has sent advance notice of this change to many vehicle owners along snow routes.
Sidewalk clearing
As in years past, Calgarians are required to remove all snow and ice from their sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall, in order to prevent slips and falls.
You are not allowed to shovel snow and ice onto the road.
In a rental property, the owner is responsible for sidewalk clearing, not the tenant.
When a sidewalk complaint is filed through 311, property owners will receive a warning through the mail. If they do not act on the warning, city crews will clear the sidewalk at an average cost of between $175 to $210.
Last winter the city received 11,000 complaints, Of those, approximately 500 required ‘corrective action’.
New website
The city has launched a website that it calls your ‘one-stop snow shopping’ at Calgary.ca/snow.
You’ll find information on snow routes, maps, commonly asked questions and a link to file a complaint or concern.
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