Snow Clearing

Winter parking restrictions

Parking restrictions are in place from October 15 to April 15 of each year to help with snow and ice control operations:

Priority Ones and the Hospital District - On-street parking is prohibited from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Downtown - On-street parking is prohibited from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Residential areas - On-street parking is prohibited from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking on the side of the street with odd house numbers is permitted from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. unless otherwise posted.

Illegally parked vehicles are subject to a $50 ticket per offence and/or may be towed.

How are streets cleared in the winter?

Once snow blankets our city in large quantities our crews gear up to plow Prince George's 735 kilometres of roads and 200 kilometres of sidewalks as efficiently as possible. Our routes are planned according to a coloured priority system.

For more information:

Route priorities

- Arterial roads and curb-adjacent sidewalks.
- Downtown Central Business District roads, laneways, and sidewalks.
- The Hospital District.
- Major facility entrances, pedestrian surfaces, and daily parking areas.
- City off-street parking.
- Collector roads and curb-adjacent sidewalks.
- Priority hills.
- Commercial and industrial zoning roads, laneways, and curb-adjacent sidewalks.
- Transit bus routes that are not in Priority 1 routes.
- Transit bus stops along Priority 1 routes.
- Residential roads, laneways, and designated sidewalks.
  Lanes may be closed if impractical to plow.
- Minor facility entrances, pedestrian surfaces, and parking areas.
- Major park pathways, trails, and parking lots.
- Event parking areas (unless a major event is imminent, then priority is raised to clear before the event starts).

What happens when we get a lot of snow?

When at least 7.5 centimetres of snow falls over a span of 24 hours we get what the City calls a "snow event". If a snow event happens, we mobilize our fleet (plus any contracted equipment) for action once the snow finally stops.

Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) routes are cleared within 48 hours after snowfall ends if at least 7.5 centimetres of snow accumulates over 24 hours.
Priority 3 (grey) routes are cleared within 72 hours after Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) routes are finished.

What happens during a heavy snowfall declaration?

A heavy snowfall declaration occurs when at least 20 centimetres of snow falls within 24 hours. This means a slight shift in our snow clearing priorities:

Nighttime snow clearing and removal in the Downtown Central Business District Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) areas will start an hour earlier (11 p.m. instead of 12 a.m.).
Snow removal completion times get by extended by 24 hours for each additional eight centimetres of snow (on top of the initial 20 centimetres).

Normal winter operations

In addition to clearing routes, our normal winter operations include:

Gravel road grading
Vegetation control (slashing, grubbing, chipping overgrown road right-of-ways)
Pothole maintenance
Normal snow and ice control
Snow windrow road widening, ditch maintenance, and exposing drainage catch basins in curb and gutter areas to accommodate melt cycles
Off-loading of cul-de-sacs and areas prone to flooding
Expose/off-load curb and gutter areas within the Bowl to expedite winter sand pick-up

What does the City use for ice control?

- Normally applied to road intersections, stops, hills and bends, and pedestrian surfaces in Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) areas when ice forms. May be applied to Priority 3 (grey) areas if conditions on the ground warrant it.
- Selectively used to improve traction roads and pedestrian surfaces.
Anti-icing:
- May be applied to Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) roads and parking lots before a snow fall to limit the amount of snow accumulating on a surface.
- Selectively used up to 24 hours before a Priority 1 (red) snow event.
Pre-wetting:
- Liquid salt is applied to all winter traction materials before the materials are spread on road and pedestrian surfaces.
- Applied any time winter traction materials are used.
- Used immediately following snow removal from Priority 1 (red) and Priority 2 (green) areas when surface temperatures are above -7 C.

General snow clearing questions and answers

Service questions and answers

For plowing or sanding, contact:
City Service Centre

Phone: 3-1-1

Email: 311@princegeorge.ca
- Submit a Service Request
If our crews missed opening your driveway, you can let us know by phoning the Service Centre at 3-1-1.
Please note, however, that non-curb and gutter roads are primarily plowed with trucks and the City does not open driveways after truck plows. Curb and gutter areas that are plowed with grader and loader combinations have driveways opened. Loaders might also be 20-30 minutes behind, depending on the number of driveways that need servicing.