A parking ban on snow routes in Kelowna was lifted by the city on Saturday.
The city issues the parking ban every time a major snowfall is in the forecast. Kelowna defines snow routes as area with elevated, steep and narrow roadways, or many cul-de-sacs.
“These factors make roadways in these areas difficult to clear,” the city says on its website. “We temporarily ban on-street parking in snow route areas when significant snowfall is forecasted or underway – this is called a snow route advisory.”
Snow route areas include Academy Way, Black Mountain, Clifton/Magic Estates/Wilden, Dilworth Mountain, Kirschner Mountain, McKinley Beach and areas in the South Mission, including The Ponds.
The city says those areas are marked with snow route no-parking signs, but noted that snow route areas don’t get special treatment. They are cleared and sanded according to their priority classification and schedule.
The canceled ban lasted nearly two weeks, having been issued on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
“Even with the lift of the parking ban, residents are still encouraged to move their vehicles off the road when it snows,” said the city, “as it helps plows clear the roads from curb to curb safely and quickly.”
The city clears snow and de-ices municipal roads based on their priority status.
Priority One routes include high-traffic roads like Gordon Drive and Rutland Road. Priority Two routes include collector roads such as Richter Street, bus routes, school zones, town centres and emergency vehicle stations. Priority Three and Four routes include residential roads and laneways.
Notably, Highway 97 (Harvey Avenue) and Highway 33 are not maintained by the city. Rather, they are maintained by the province and the private contractors they hire.
Contractor AIM Roads is responsible for Highway 97 in the Okanagan, while Highway 33 is split between AIM Roads and Yellowhead Road and Bridge.