Winter operations update

Happy to get the following from our winter operations folks this morning as the snow keeps falling...

We’re waking up to a beautiful winter day.  Overnight we saw between 7 - 10 cm of snow in the City.  We anticipate another 5 - 10 cm of heavy snow will fall today before tapering off to light flurries this afternoon.

Roads and Parking Services staff were on main roads, arterials and sidewalks late last night and through the overnight clearing snow and salting.  A first pass of our mains was completed but the rapidly falling snow means roads and sidewalks remain snow covered and slushy.

At 7 am our morning shift took over and will continue to focus on keeping those main roads, sidewalks and the winter cycling network open and clear.  The snow is falling rapidly this morning, and multiple passes will be required to keep our main network of roads and sidewalks open and clear.  Keeping our mains clear is the priority today and will take most of the day.

Later today and into the early evening, residents may start to see our vehicles moving into their local communities for a residential plow run.  Wherever possible, residents are asked to keep their cars off the road to allow our teams and vehicles to do their work.  A winter weather parking ban is in effect this evening, Saturday January 16 from 7 pm to tomorrow, Sunday January 17 at 7 am.  With the accumulation of snow we are seeing, it is important that our equipment can open up the roads as wide as possible to allow cars, vehicles and walkers to travel safely.

Tomorrow, Sunday, our staff will be in again doing clean-up around push-buttons, pedestrian crossings and bus stops.  Any additional problem areas will be addressed.  We are expecting cold temperatures to move in early this week so getting the roads cleaned ahead of that freeze is a priority.

Our vehicles are on the roads and sidewalks to make them safe for you.  Please, look for the flashing blue lights and give them space to do their work – stay three car lengths behind a working vehicle.