Your Snow Day questions answered
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Everything you need to know about Vaughan’s response
to today’s major snowfall
As City of Vaughan crews continue to work around the clock to
clear local roads and sidewalks, the City is answering some of the top
questions received today from residents.
Q.
Why is the windrow-clearing machine leaving large piles of snow at the end of
my driveway?
A. Windrow-clearing
machines will clear enough space for vehicles to safely enter and exit the
driveway – not the entire width of the driveway. The service does not clear
windrows left by sidewalk plows and does not clear hardened snow, ice or the
entire driveway. It is the responsibility of
citizens to clear the small windrow across a driveway that is created by
sidewalk plows. It’s illegal to shovel snow or ice onto the road – so be
mindful of where you’re putting snow when you’re clearing your sidewalk or
driveway. Read the Ontario Highway Traffic Act – section 181.
Q.
When will the windrow machine come by my house?
A.
Windrow-clearing
service is typically completed on a street up to four hours after the snowplow
has passed. Expect these timelines to be delayed today due to the amount of
snow that has fallen. The City thanks residents for their patience as crews
complete the cleanup.
Q.
How long does it take for the plow to come to my street?
A.
Once five
centimetres (two inches) of snow have accumulated on the ground, our snowplows
begin to service the streets. During a snowfall, we are focused on getting the
City’s main roads cleared first so emergency and transit vehicles get where
they need to go. Main roads, which are travelled more frequently, are plowed
within four hours after snowfall has ended. Residential roads are plowed within
12 hours after snowfall has ended.
With the
amount of snow that has fallen, the main roads will require a second round of
plowing. Due to this, the timelines for residential roads will be impacted.
Q.
The sidewalk has a lot of snow, when will it be cleared?
A. The City is currently
working on plowing Vaughan’s main public sidewalks. Given the volume of snow, sidewalks
on residential streets and paths in City parks will not be plowed until
tomorrow. As a reminder, citizens are required to remove ice and snow on the
sidewalk in front of or along their property by shovelling and/or throwing down
salt. This must be done within 24 hours after snowfall has ended to ensure the
community is safe for pedestrians. This applies to homeowners, as well as
owners of vacant land, industrial or institutional buildings, whether occupied
or unoccupied.
Q.
There is lots of snow in my area, will it be removed?
A. City crews have been working around the clock to clear
roads and sidewalks. Snow removal operations are anticipated to be
conducted later in the week in the Kleinburg, Woodbridge and Vaughan
Metropolitan Centre areas to remove stockpiled snow as required.
Q.
What is the current state of winter operations in Vaughan?
A. The City’s winter
operations began on Sunday, Jan. 16 by preparing Vaughan’s streets for the
storm and will continue until the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, Jan.
18. For additional details and to receive the latest
information on Vaughan’s winter operations:
- visit vaughan.ca/snow
- contact the Snow Hotline at 905-879-SNOW (7669) or email snow@vaughan.ca
- view the Where’s My Snowplow tool
- follow the City’s official corporate channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
- subscribe to Vaughan News
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