aintenance
by Hub staff
The following excerpts are from the City of Owen Sound Public Works Division, and there is lots more, including weather and road links, sidewalk maintenance and frequently asked questions on their website.
On average, Owen Sound receives about 300 centimetres (10 feet) of snow each winter. A major snowfall event can produce an accumulation of 30 to 60 centimetres (12 to 24 inches) of snow.
The primary goal of winter operations is to provide a safe and passable roadway for motorists, and emergency response vehicles, with due regard for the prevailing conditions.
The City of Owen Sound utilizes the following equipment to maintain 280 (lane) kilometres of roadway, 100 kilometres of sidewalk, 19 municipal/facility parking lots, and various walkways, steps and pathways.
- Four snow plow/salter trucks
- Two sidewalk machines
- Two motor graders
- One loader plow
- One loader blower
The City's Traffic By-law prohibits on street parking from December 1st to March 31st between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. or parking on a road in a manner that interferes with plowing operations. Plow operators need clear roadways to complete their routes safely and efficiently.
Under the Highway Traffic Act, residents are not allowed to deposit snow on the roadway. When clearing snow, pile it on your property – do not shovel it onto the sidewalk, onto the road, or across the road. This practice is dangerous because it covers the traction control applied to the roadway, which may cause motorists to lose control when driving through the snow pile.
Our winter road maintenance plan is based on the assumption that not all roadways need to be maintained at the same level of service. The level of service provided varies according to its role in the transportation network, and on other various services the City provides. To simplify the determination of levels of service the road network has been divided into classes which determine the overall priority for snow clearing and ice control. Details of the classification are on the website.
Winter Road Classification Map [pdf]
