The City of Owen Sound Public Works Department has begun regular seasonal Winter Control Operations. Winter Control Operations will be in effect until the end of April.
The Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards require that roads and sidewalks be plowed and either salted or sanded, within specific timelines, depending on the road class. Severe winter weather conditions may create situations where the city cannot meet those standards; in these situations, the City can declare a Significant Weather Event.
With more than 282 lane kms of City streets and 105 km of sidewalks to care for, winter control can be a challenging task. There are a number of circumstances that can impact snow clearing operations, including:
• the severity of snow and ice accumulation;
• extreme cold temperatures;
• precipitation;
• time of day;
• available resources;
• motorists trying to pass or following too closely behind snowplows; and
• vehicles parked on the street or blocking sidewalks.
What can you expect this year?
What is a Significant Weather Event?
The Minimum Maintenance Standards require that roads and sidewalks be plowed and either salted or sanded, within specific timelines, depending on the road class. Severe winter weather conditions may create situations where the city cannot meet those standards; in these situations, the City can, as per provincial regulations, declare a Significant Weather Event to advise the public.
Driveways
When clearing snow from your driveway, pile the snow on the right side of the driveway (looking towards the road from driveway). This will reduce the amount of snow pushed back into your driveway when the road is plowed. Also, property owners are responsible for keeping snowbanks low at the end of their driveways. Staff understand that windrows (pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a snowplow has cleared the road) can be frustrating for residents. Unfortunately, in order to effectively plow the road, windrows cannot be avoided.
Under Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act, residents are not allowed to deposit snow on the sidewalk, roadway or across the road. Failure to comply with this provincial legislation may result in a Provincial Offence Notice being issued for a Highway Traffic Act contravention by City Police.
Children Playing
Residents should educate all children not to climb, play, build snow forts or tunnels in snowbanks at the side of streets or in cul- de-sacs as they could slip and fall into oncoming traffic. Snowbanks could also collapse or be pushed down during snow clearing operations.
Overnight Parking
Residents and visitors are reminded that overnight parking restrictions will come into effect on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. As per Traffic By-law No. 2009-075, parking is prohibited on all City streets and any non-designated municipal lots between 1a.m. and 7 a.m. from December 1 until March 31.
Vehicle owners found in contravention of the by-law are subject to a $30.00 parking fine and the potential of having their vehicle towed at their expense.
Overnight parking passes can be purchased at City Hall or at the Transit Terminal for $20.00 per month or $5.00 per night. These passes are valid in the overnight parking areas of Municipal Lot 5 (800 block of 3rd Avenue East) and Municipal Lot 9 (700 block of 1st Avenue East). The city retains three private contractors along with City crews to maintain the parking lots during the winter control season, and maintenance crews may start as early as 1 a.m. to clear parking lots.
Garbage and Recycling Placement
Residents are asked to place all collectible materials behind or on top of snowbanks to eliminate the potential risk of a dangerous slip or fall.
By avoiding the placement of your waste and recycling containers on roadways, boulevards and sidewalks it will ensure that they do not:
• block oncoming traffic
• prevent snowplows from properly clearing the roadway and sidewalk
• create a hazard as they may get struck by vehicles or snowplows; and
• prevent waste materials from being knocked over or buried during snowplowing operations.
Please visit the City of Owen Sound’s web site for more detailed information relating to Winter Maintenance.
source: media release, City of Owen Sound
