| What can I expect from the City when it snows? |
| During the winter season, from November 15 to April 15, City patrols are checking road and sidewalk conditions, as well as monitoring weather forecasts. Their main role is to ensure that roads and sidewalks are safe and passable.
When snow starts to fall, salt/sand spreader trucks are sent out to the arterial roads first then the collector roads. It is the City's main priority to ensure that these routes are clear for emergency vehicles. If 5 cm of snow has accumulated on the road surface, plows are sent out to these roads.
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| What can I do to prepare for a snow storm? |
| If possible, keep parked cars off the street so that plows can move through the streets more effectively. Use public transit whenever possible. Fewer cars on the street can help us plow the snow. When a snow storm is in the forecast, you should ensure that you purchase any food, medication, and household supplies that you might need for the next 48 hours. Try to stay off the streets. |
| Which streets and sidewalks get plowed first and why? |
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Streets designated as "priority" are cleared first and then crews take care of the remainder of the streets. The City is divided into nine areas or "beats." Each beat is made up of a street list starting with the priority roads. Priority roads carry the higher volumes of traffic and are most easily identified as arterial (main) roads or collector (secondary) roads. These are the roads people use to get in and out of the city, to business areas, and to medical facilities. The "other" roads are the second priority roads, primarily residential or secondary routes. These are systematically plowed after the "priority" routes are completed. By having different priorities, it allows us to focus our operations to ensure that there is basic access through the City for emergency vehicles and that large traffic volumes can travel safely.
Most beats are assigned one snow clearing unit but in the case of multi-lane roads more can be provided. Crews have a detailed list of streets in their beat to ensure that all are cleared.
Similarly, sidewalks are divided into areas or "beats" with two categories for City clearing operations. The Business Improvement Area (BIA), heavily travelled routes, and routes leading directly to schools, are the first priority. All other sidewalks are cleared after these primary sidewalks are completed.
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| Who determines which streets get plowed first? |
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The City of Orillia roads and streets are cleared on a priority basis according to the classification/rating of each road within the City. This is set out in the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, Ontario Regulation 239/02 made under the Municipal Act, 2002. For winter operations, these regulations specify our patrol frequency and clearance of snow and ice for each class of highway.
City roads are categorized into five main classes. Classes 1, 2, and 3 are priority roads, which include arterial and some secondary collector roads; these roads take first priority. Classes 4 and 5, which include local residential streets and cul-de-sacs, have lower priority.
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| How long does it take to plow the streets? |
| The City's goal is to plow all streets in less than 24 hours after the snowfall has ceased. During periods of heavy snowfall, plowing operations can take longer. In the event of a major snow fall staff resources will focus on keeping the main arterials open. |
| A City plow has just dumped snow in my driveway. Will the City come back and remove the snow? |
| The plowing operation places snow from the road to the curb or boulevard. Unfortunately, this will fill in a freshly shoveled driveway. The City does not have a program whereby it will come back and remove the snow from driveways. |
| What if I am unable to clear the snow from my driveway because of age or disability? |
| Unfortunately, snow removal services for seniors and individuals with disabilities are not available from City crews. You may be able to get assistance from a family member, a friend, or a neighbour. Many local community groups and churches have volunteers who will lend a helping hand. There are also a number of private snow clearing contractors who provide this service. Check the Yellow Pages for listings. In addition you can go to our "Senior's Information" website or Information Orillia's website for further details on what kinds of services seniors can access. |
| I have to get out of my driveway for work/an appointment/etc. and the street has not been plowed. What should I do? |
| During periods of heavy snowfalls, there may be delays. It is always best to plan ahead. If you know it is going to snow, leave yourself an extra hour or so when travelling in winter conditions. Don't drive unless absolutely necessary, and please, be patient. If you must drive, please ensure your vehicle is equipped with appropriate tires and maintained properly for winter conditions (e.g., tires, fuel, windshield wiper blades and washer fluid, anti-freeze, blankets, etc.). |
| I live on a cul-de-sac (dead-end) street. Why does my street always seem to be only partially plowed? |
| The City currently has many cul-de-sac/dead-end streets in its road network. Due to the small turning radius afforded by most cul-de-sacs, the large plow trucks cannot plow the circular part of the street properly. Snow that is piled up in the centre of cul-de-sacs will be removed when it becomes hazardous to drivers and/or the public in general. |
| I live on a corner lot. Why does the plow put so much snow in my driveway? Can't you take the snow somewhere else? |
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Residents living on corner lots or first on the right of an intersection usually get more snow deposited in front of their houses and in their driveways. The reason for this is that when a snowplow turns to the right it sweeps a much larger area of the road than when it is travelling in a straight line. The snow also does not discharge from the plow when it is turning hard to the right because the plows are angled from left to right on the truck. Turning right effectively makes the plow push all the snow ahead instead of moving it from the centre of the road to the side. The first property and driveway encountered after the plow straightens out usually gets more snow than others in the immediate area.
If there is enough room, the operator can sometimes get rid of some of the snow before the driveway is reached. A fixed snowplow cannot carry snow around to put it where desired. The plow moves snow from the centre of the road to the side of the road - the operator cannot change this.
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| The snow bank at the street corner is too high and I cannot see oncoming traffic. What can be done? |
| Every attempt is made to keep snow banks at corners to a minimum and is done between snowfall events. Special concerns should be directed to the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department at 705-326-4585. |
| There is always a vehicle parked on the street and the plow makes a mess trying to get around it. Can't you have it towed away? |
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During the day, unless the street is posted as "No Parking", it is legal to park on the road.
However, parking is prohibited from November 15 to April 15 on any street between 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. If the plow happens to come across a parked vehicle that is causing problems during those times we can request the Police or City By-law Enforcement to have it removed. We can also request that the Police or City By-law Enforcement remove a vehicle or vehicles that are parked in such a way as to prevent winter maintenance equipment from passing. This can be done at any time.
Only staff from the City's Environment and Infrastructure Services Department can make requests to the Police or By-law Enforcement to have a vehicle, or vehicles, tagged and/or towed. It is up to the Police or By-law Enforcement Officer to decide whether a vehicle, or vehicles, are removed or just ticketed. To report a vehicle during business hours, please call 705-326-4585, and for afterhours please contact the afterhours line at 705-326-4671.
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| There are areas of my street that haven't been plowed properly. Why did the driver not do a better job? |
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Most problem areas on streets are the result of parked cars blocking the snowplows, or residents putting snow from their driveways back onto the public roadway. Residents are reminded, if at all possible, to not park vehicles on the street either during or following a snowstorm. Also, residents and private snowplowing contractors are reminded to not place snow from driveways and sidewalks on the street or across the street. Depositing snow on the public roadway is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act.
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| The sidewalk plow creates a small windrow (pile) across my driveway. Whose responsibility is it to clear this snow? |
| You must shovel the windrow created by sidewalk clearing equipment. Remember, it is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act to put the snow on the street. |
| Why does City sidewalk equipment use a plow blade one time then change to a snowblower attachment later? |
| Sidewalk "V" blade attachments are used during the early part of the winter season to establish sidewalk snow banks for the season. As well, they can plow the sidewalks faster. As the season progresses, snow banks become too high for the "V" blades to prevent snow from falling back onto the sidewalk. Snowblower attachments are then used to keep sidewalks clear. However, sidewalk snowblowers operate at slower speeds and routes take longer to complete. Near the end of the winter season, sidewalk plowing operations will change back to "V" blades once sidewalk snow banks have diminished by thawing action. |
| Why does the road plow fill in the ends of sidewalks at intersections after the sidewalk plow cleared it earlier? |
| Normally, road plows are operational with the accumulation of 4 cm (1.5 inches) of snow on the road. Sidewalk plowing starts with 8 cm (3 inches) of snow accumulation on the sidewalk. Through radio communications by the operators, the sidewalk plows generally follow behind on the roads already plowed. However, storm intensity and duration may force the road plow to re-run the route, thus filling in previously plowed sidewalk ends at intersections. Normally these sidewalk ends will be opened within 12 to 24 hours after being plowed in. |
| Why do they have to work at night to clear snow banks from the streets? The noise keeps me awake. |
| During the daytime, there is considerable vehicle and pedestrian traffic. To ensure everyone's safety, the removal of snow banks along the streets must be done at night. |
| Who is responsible for clearing snow around Canada Post Super Mailboxes? |
| Canada Post is responsible for clearing the snow and ice around Super Mailboxes. If your mailbox is blocked by snow, please call 705-327-2918. |
| Why does the plow damage my sod every year and when is it going to be repaired? |
Sod damage is the result of two factors:
- The plow operator may have difficulty finding the sidewalk or the edge of the road under a blanket of snow.
- The ground is not frozen.
Once a path is cleared, subsequent trips by the plow are made easier. If the sod was damaged during the first part of the season, then the damage may not be discovered until the snow melts. We have found that generally homeowners will repair the damage in front of their property before the City crews arrive. This is a tremendous help because City staff typically don't repair sod damage until after spring sweeping operations are completed in late May - severe damage being the exception. Special sod repair concerns should be directed to the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department at 705-326-4585.
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| What can I do to keep my pet safe from salt? |
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Due to the risk of slipping and falling not only for us but for our furry friends, ice melts are a necessity in many parts of the country. There are, however, a few things you can do to minimize potential problems for your pets:
- Don’t let dogs eat any of the salt or any of the snow (especially the slushy snow) outside that may have been treated with an ice melt.
- Wipe your pet’s paws as soon as they get inside with a damp cloth or baby wipes. Minimize paw licking until their paws are completely clean. This will also help minimize risk for skin irritation that may be seen from walking through ice melts
- If you have a sensitive dog whose paw pads are becoming irritated, cracked or are bleeding from the ice melts, paw wax or doggie booties provide an excellent barrier to minimize risk to sensitive feet.
- Keep all ice melt packaging out of paws’ reach.
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| My mailbox has been damaged by the plow. What can be done? |
| The City will repair or replace a damaged or destroyed mailbox if the damage is deemed to result from a direct hit by plow equipment. Mailboxes damaged by snow load off the plow equipment will not be eligible for repair or replacement by the City. The responsibility for maintaining mailboxes lies with the owner of the mailbox. Mailbox owners are required to repair their own mailboxes that have been damaged by snow impact. Please re-attach the mailbox securely to prevent this from happening again.
The recommended minimum mailbox location measurements are as follows:
- 1.75 metres (5 feet 9 inches) from edge of pavement to front of mailbox
- 1.05 metres (3 feet 3 inches) from ground to bottom of mailbox.
The ideal mailbox installation is a mailbox suspended by chains (to the above measurements or greater) from a well braced, cantilever arm and post assembly.
To report a damaged mailbox, please contact the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department at 705-326-4585. An inspection, assessment and recommendation will be made by staff. Mailboxes replaced by the City will be a basic mailbox, not necessarily the same as the original mailbox. Damaged posts will be replaced by temporary posts with permanent repairs undertaken in the spring once the frost is out of the ground.
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