The Peterborough area was expecting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow Monday night but ended up getting at most only five.
Because of the forecast, the public works department had snowplows staffed ready to go. The practice is to clear major arterial streets first then move to residential side streets, but because the snowfall was less than anticipated, this allowed the 16 routes to be cleared much quicker than if there was more snow to deal with.
John Chernowski, operations supervisor with public works, says things were looking good by 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Right now things are looking pretty good. Plows right now are in the residential streets, cleaning them up and applying some material,” Chernowski says.
The city uses either straight sand or a mix of sand and salt. Adding some salt keeps the sand from freezing and can sometimes be a bit of a melting agent, he says.
While motorists may have appreciated the quick removal of snow from city streets, Peterborough Police remind drivers to remove snow from their windshields and windows. Const. Tom White says drivers should give themselves extra time to clear off snow, ice and frost before they set off.
“People think you can just walk out to their car and start driving with snow, ice or sleet on their windshield. It’s important to clear off your windshield, side and rear windows and if you don’t, you might see penalites under the Highway Traffic Act,” White says.
White says the penalty for driving without clearing windows is $120.