The heavy dump of snow last Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan. 16-17) had many White Rock residents asking about the city’s snow and ice removal priorities.
According to the City of White Rock website, crews regularly monitor major weather forecasts to prepare for an impending storm and assign equipment for road salting and clearing duty.
But residents and businesses also share an obligation to help keep sidewalks clear, while the city’s responsibility for snow clearing is mainly confined to roadways and sidewalks and parking lots at civic facilities.
Under Street and Traffic Bylaw No. 1529, residents and businesses are required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks surrounding their property by 10 a.m. following a snowfall.
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During shovelling, care must be taken not to block catch basins, which could result in excess water along road areas – dangerous during subsequent freezes – and flooding of neighborhood properties once the snow melts.
The city’s parks crew’s priority is clearing sidewalks and parking lots at civic facilities.
Once those are completed, they move on to city walkways, such as the waterfront promenade.
If snowfall is continuous, crews return to the first priority areas.
As far as snow-plowing streets, the number one priority is major roads, emergency access routes and bus routes, which remain top priority through periods of continuous snowfall.
Once these are cleared, the next priority is secondary through-roads in residential areas.
After clearing these, crews move on to non-priority routes, including many side streets.