In the aftermath of last weekend’s significant weather event, it’s important for residents to be mindful of winter maintenance guidelines to ensure the safety and efficiency of snow removal efforts.
Here are a few important reminders when snowstorms occur:
No parking on residential streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from November 15 to April 15. This restriction facilitates the smooth clearing of snow and essential road maintenance.
Place garbage, recycling, and green bins in a visible location at the end of your driveway, not on the roadway, sidewalk, or snowbank. Clearing an area for bin placement and keeping them away from the road is vital, as collection crews cannot retrieve bins from snowbanks.
Don’t push snow or ice onto the roadway or sidewalk, as it creates unsafe conditions and may exacerbate windrow issues caused by snowplow blades clearing the streets.
At the beginning of a snowfall or freezing rain, all primary roads with high volume traffic are salted first. Then all secondary roads with low volume traffic are salted at hills, intersections and curves. After 8 centimetres (3 inches) of snow accumulation (except Yonge Street - 5 centimetres) all primary and secondary roads are plowed.
When streets require plowing, they are cleared within 16-24 hours after the end of the storm whenever possible, however heavy snowfalls or successive storms can sometimes extend this period.
