Index
Snow Clearing Updates
Subscribe for Snow Clearing Updates
Keep current on information about snow clearing and other road operations by subscribing to the City's News and Notices service.
Be sure to select the, "Roads (Snow Clearing, Sweeping, Paving, and Load Restrictions)" checkbox under the "General" header to receive the latest news and updates.
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Snow Clearing
Priority Routes
The City of Prince George's snow clearing operations maintain roads and sidewalks in passable conditions throughout winter. Council's Snow and Ice Control bylaw categorises the City's 670km of roads and 200km of sidewalks into three snow-clearing priority routes:
PRIORITY ONE ROUTES (RED)
- Main arterial roads (most plowed at night).
- Downtown Central Business District (plowed at night).
- Includes the area bordered by 1st and 15th Avenues.
- Vancouver and Queensway Streets.
- Priority hills
- The Hospital District:
- Alward Street from 15th Avenue to 10th Avenue.
- 10th Avenue from Alward Street to Laurier Crescent.
- Laurier Crescent from 10th Avenue to Lethbridge Street.
- Lethbridge Street from Laurier Crescent to 13th Avenue.
- 13th Avenue from Lethbridge Street to Winnipeg Street
- Civic facility entrances, priority parking lots, and pathways.
PRIORITY TWO ROUTES (GREEN)
- All bus routes that are not main arterial roads.
- All commercial and industrial roads.
PRIORITY THREE ROUTES (GREY)
- Residential roads and lanes that do not fall within Priority One or Two routes.
- Residential route clearing also takes garbage collection days into consideration.
- All remaining civic facilities parking lots.
- Select park facilities, parking lots, trails, and pathways.
Priority Routes During a Snow Event
A "snow event" happens when at least 7.5cm of snow accumulates over a 24 hour period. If a snow event is announced, the City will mobilise its snow fleet together with contracted equipment to meet service requirements outlined in Council 2014’s Snow and Ice Control Procedure and the Snow and Ice Control Route Bylaw.
If at least 7.5cm of snow falls in 24 hours:
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The City aims to clear Priority One (Red) and Priority Two (Green) routes within 48 hours after snowfall ends.
If at least 12cm of snow falls in 24 hours:
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The City aims to clear Priority Three (Grey) routes within 72 hours after Priority One (Red) and Priority Two (Green) have been completed.
For more information on the Snow and Ice Control bylaw:
Snow and Ice Control Equipment
City crews have the following equipment at their disposal:
- Seven sanding/plow trucks
- Seven graders
- Four sidewalk plowing and sanding machines
- Five loaders
- One snow blowing loader
- Two anti-icing trucks
During a snow event, contracted crews are also employed to use the following:
- Five graders
- Eleven loaders
- Thirteen tandem dump trucks
- Two snow disposal site bulldozers
General Winter Operations
In addition to clearing routes, normal operations through the winter may include:
- Depositing an average of 3,600 tonnes of fractured rock, 5,200 tonnes of sand, and 1,500 tonnes of salt onto roads, sidewalks, and City-owned public areas.
- Pushing back windrows along boulevards to increase snow storage capacity.
- Ice cutting roadway shoulders in areas lacking curbs and gutters to allow for drainage to enter ditches instead of sitting on the road.
- Slashing and chipping overgrown lanes and roadways of trees and shrubs to improve visibility and drainage.
- Replacing damaged culverts as necessary to alleviate flooding concerns during the spring thaw.
- Patching potholes.
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Parking Restrictions
Parking restrictions are in place from
October 15 to April 15 of each year to help with snow and ice control operations:
- On-street parking is prohibited from
10:00pm to 7:00am on Priority One roads and hills, the Hospital District, and a number of other designated roads.
- On-street parking is prohibited from
12:00am to 7:00am downtown.
- On-street parking is prohibited from
8:00am to 6:00pm in residential areas. Parking on the side of the street with odd house numbers is permitted from
6:00pm to 8:00am unless otherwise posted.
- Illegally parked vehicles are subject to a $50 ticket per offence and/or may be towed.
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Questions and Answers
General Questions
Where can I get snow clearing updates?
Check local media for snow operations news and follow the City of Prince George on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to City News and Notices to stay up to date.
Subscribe for Snow Clearing Updates
Be sure to select the, "Roads (Snow Clearing, Sweeping, Paving, and Load Restrictions)" checkbox under the "General" header to receive the latest news and updates.
Why do the plows go so fast?
Plows do have to go a minimum speed in order to throw the snow off to the side. The City asks its drivers not to drive faster than necessary. In some cases however, shrubs, fences, walkways and driveways close to the curb cannot avoid getting snow on them.
I'm very concerned about our environment. Why don't you eliminate the use of salt?
Salting is much more economical for small amounts of snow when the road surface temperatures are warmer than -7 Degrees Celsius. The salt content used in the sand/salt mix is minimal (approximately two (2) per cent) and serves to prevent the freezing of the sand in the City's sand trucks. Direct salt applications are very expensive and are used only when necessary. The City is working on a salt management plan to ensure salt is only used when necessary and managed properly.
Service Questions
How are snow clearing routes determined?
Snow clearing routes are based on a colour-coded priority system factors in considerations like garbage collection days and the amount of snowfall over a 24-hour period.
How do I make sure that my property improvements don't get damaged by snow plows and graders?
Street allowances in residential areas are normally 20 metres wide with a 10-metre road surface within this road allowance. In curbed areas, this leaves 5 metres (16 feet) on each side of the road as City Boulevard. Approval from the City is required prior to making improvements to boulevard areas. Please contact the Roads Division at 250-561-7600 for more information.
How does the City control snow clearing costs?
The annual snow budget is approved by Council and the City attempts to keep a good balance between levels of service and expenditures by continually trying to improve services without increasing costs.
Parking Questions
Where can I park in a residential area?
On-street parking is prohibited from
8:00am to 6:00pm in residential areas.
Parking on the side of the street with odd house numbers is permitted from
6:00pm to 8:00am unless otherwise posted.
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