Residential plowing starts Friday, do you know your zone?

WINNIPEG – Residential plowing is set to start Friday morning at 7 a.m. and if your car is left out you could be facing a hefty fine of up to $150.

To find out when your area will be cleared you first have to figure out the city’s Know Your Zone System on their website.

The alphabet-based snow clearing schedule has been around for four years but many Winnipeggers still don’t seem to understand it.

Many, including Janice Lukes City Councillour of St. Norbert, think it’s a little hard to figure out, “There’s still some confusion with Know Your Zone probably with contractors, with individuals, with everyone.”

“It is pretty tricky. You have to go to a website, you got to look up your street, look up your zone then you have to match that to a whole bunch of different things,” says University of Winnipeg Urban Studies Professor Jino Distasio.

Other cities across the prairies have different ways of organizing residential plowing. After a heavy snowfall in Edmonton each neighbourhood is cleared on an assigned day of the week.

This system works a lot like a garbage day so residents always know when the plows are coming.

Regina and Saskatchewan don’t plow their streets until there’s ten centimeters of snow pack.

The City of Winnipeg has no plans to change the system.