The City announced a new snow and ice program last week, which aims to ensure residential streets are plowed when a 10cm snowpack has been reached.
“Last winter was unprecedented and it put our existing policy – and the community – to the test,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “This new plan sets specific service levels that are more responsive and will help keep residents moving safely through our community this winter.”
The City stated they hope the program will see streets being plowed sooner and more often, however it will require the participation of residents.
Residents can help by knowing their snow zone and route. Information will be mailed to Red Deerians in the coming weeks, informing them of their zone and route.
The City also stated it is important for residents to check the schedule informing people of which zone and route will be plowed that day so vehicles are off the road.
The schedule will be communicated through a variety of tools such as a live map and schedule on the City’s web site, email and RSS alerts from Snow Zone, social media, the Snow Zone hotline, as well as through local radio stations.
On top of knowing their zones, residents must also know whether they are on a green route or a grey route. Green routes are primarily streets located on bus routes, with grey routes being primarily residential.
The City also stated there would be windrows located on both sides of the street this year, stating that with windrows on both sides of the street and more frequent plowing, they hope the windrows will be smaller and more manageable than in previous years.
Residents are responsible for clearing windrows in front of their driveways, with the City asking that windrows be cleared after each plow to make them more manageable. The City is also encouraging residents to have their windrows plowed by private contractors, however contractors must have a valid Seasonal Use of Streets Permit to clear windrows.
Residents are asked to keep their vehicle off of the road from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the days their areas are being cleared.
The City also announced their ‘Be a Snow Buddy’ program, asking residents to help their neighbours, friends, and family with clearing snow.
The new policy was adopted by council on Oct. 14th where they approved a one-time $1.9 million capital budget increase in 2014 and an operating budget increase of $855,000 in both 2014 and 2015.
With the additional funding, the City was able to add two plow trucks, two graders, one skid steer, one truck/trailer combo, one snow blower, and one loader to their fleet to help with this year’s snow fall.
jswan@reddeerexpress.com
