The City of Edmonton says road crews are ready to go as soon as snow hits the ground.
While there is no snow in the forecast in the coming days, the city wants drivers to know trucks are loaded with sand, plow blades are installed and road crews are ready for winter weather.
“When it snows, we are out working,” said Andrew Grant, general supervisor of infrastructure field operations, parks and roads services.
“Safety is our priority. We will maintain residential roads more frequently and when the snow really flies, we have the ability to implement a two-phased parking ban to help city crews clear streets quickly and safely.”
Reminder of city’s two-phase parking ban
The city’s two-phase parking ban was announced last year.
While one was never called last winter due to a lack of snowfall, the city said the two-phased approach allows for improved service for crews to clear streets more efficiently when conditions require it.
- Phase 1: Arterial and collector roads, bus routes and business improvement areas are cleared. Drivers may continue to park on their residential street during Phase 1
- Phase 2 (begins after Phase 1): Residential and industrial roads are cleared. Drivers may park in their driveway, in a parking space on a neighbours’ property with their permission, or on any road cleared during Phase 1 where parking is allowed normally
Phase 1 is anticipated to last about 48 hours and Phase 2 could take anywhere from seven to nine days, according to the city. In each phase, residents will be allowed to park on the streets again once they have been cleared.
The city encourages residents to make a plan for where they are going to park when a ban comes into effect. People can sign up on the City of Edmonton’s website to receive an email alert when a parking ban is declared.
How are Edmonton roads prioritized for snow clearing?
As soon as the snow starts to fly, the city said crews are proactively dispatched to apply sand and salt to the roads.
“The first line of defense for snow and ice is to mechanically clear snow from the roads with plows, brooms, blowers or other equipment. A sand and salt mix is then applied to roads for traction or to melt ice,” a city news release explained.
“Quantities of each material change depending on current and forecasted pavement and air temperatures to ensure crews use the right tool for the job and conditions.”
Edmonton streets will be cleared on a priority basis. Priority 1 roads include arterial roads and business improvement areas. These are cleared within 36 hours of the end of snowfall, according to the city.
Priority 2 roads include collector roads and bus routes, and are cleared within 48 hours.
Priority 3 roads include industrial roads, which are cleared to bare pavement standard within five days, and rural roads, which are maintained to a level snowpack within five days following the end of snowfall.
Priority 4 are residential roads and alleys which are cleared once a five-centimetre snowpack has formed. These roads are not cleared to bare pavement.
When are bike lanes, sidewalks cleared?
Active pathways — such as bike lanes, multi-use trails, public stairs, bus stops and sidewalks — are cleared by a separate team with specialized equipment. The clearing of these pathways is done at the same time as roadways are cleared, the city said.
Active pathway crews clear protected bike lanes and infrastructure near city facilities within 24 hours of a snowfall. All other city-maintained active infrastructure is cleared within 48 hours.
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