‘It’s a dangerous situation’: Saskatoon drivers ask for snow removal in neighbourhoods

The City of Saskatoon said it was beginning snow removal in residential areas like Nutana and Caswell Hill on Wednesday, with a plan of doing more later this week.

Snow removal in all residential areas is expected to take six to eight weeks, according to the city, which noted that once all the crews and contractors are gathered, they’ll have a better idea of the timeframe.

0:30 Saskatoon road crews need to warn motorists about large snow piles on roadways, resident says

Richard Gryschuk, who travels frequently across Taylor Street in Saskatoon, said he was almost in an accident because the snow piles were so high.

“They’ve piled the snow directly into one of the driving lanes,” Gryschuk said. “I think it’s very unsafe, and something that could be easily resolved by the city.”

A release sent out by the city said that the next phase of snow removal will improve sight lines, open up street parking and clear up sidewalks.

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“We know that some lanes are narrow due to the extra snow piled in the medians, boulevards and parking lanes. Now that we’ve graded the entire city, we are actively removing those snow piles along high-traffic, high-speed Priority One streets where visibility is an issue,” said the City of Saskatoon in a statement.

Gryschuk suggested clearing the snow or putting up warnings on streets where the snow piles are obstructing the lanes.

“Ultimately, I’d like the snow removed right away. I think that it’s been here long enough – it’s over two weeks.”

0:24 Saskatoon residents can expect snow clearing

He said he didn’t complain to the city right away, noting they had a lot of work ahead of them.

In a statement, the city said that they are aware that some of the piles are restricting parking and visibility and will be working throughout the weeks ahead to resolve the issue.

Gryschuk said he’s talked with other residents and has heard from them that the roads are bad in other neighbourhoods as well.

“It’s a dangerous situation and it shouldn’t be happening.”

– with files from Brody Langager