The Public Works Committee has asked for a review of the snow removal policy and procedures from city administration. We will discuss ways to improve the efforts in the future through support to staff, communications, addressing efficiencies, adding equipment, etc. I believe the aim of the review should also be to define a level of service that is acceptable during a “normal” winter as well as defining an emergency procedure for “extreme” conditions. This is a complex issue that needs to be addressed.
Currently, the snow removal system takes about 6 weeks to make one cycle throughout the city. The process indicates that Priority 1 (main collectors and arterial roads) and Priority 2 (bus routes) be completed first as each of these types of roads handle thousands of traffic movements a day. Once these roads are passable, residential snow plowing is resumed.
On January 18th, the city received an extreme storm that broke a 60 year record for snowfall. The efforts to remove this amount of snow will be completed by Thursday, Feb. 3rd, approximately 2-1/2 after the storm. Priority 1 roads took 2 days to clear and Priority 2 roads took another 3 days. Those roads represent just over 50% of the internal city roads. Residential snow removal didn’t begin until the 6th day, following this event and takes a lot longer due to the service levels the city has adopted. Another result of the snowfall was approximately 30,000 truckloads of windrows that will need to be removed and hauled to a provincially approved snow dump site. With one truck only able to make about 20 loads per 10 hour shift, the process will be a long one, even with the dozen trucks that are on hand.
The current budget for snow removal is about $6 million per year and there is a reserve that can be accessed if needed. I believe that we can be a little more efficient in our processes, but the level of service will need to be adjusted. For example, we currently have the crews remove snow from the end of driveways. In order to get around the city faster, this practice will need to be suspended during emergencies. Also, years of poor subdivision developments have created roads that are difficult for the snow removal crews (narrow streets and cul-de-sacs). Public cooperation is also required to make our system more efficient. We still have residents that refuse to move their vehicles from the road when the signs go up for snow removal. Finally, I think we need a couple more pieces of equipment to optimize our efforts.
A major delay in our snow removal efforts is our snow dump site which is situated on Park Road, just west of 92nd street. The site is about halfway along a road that has limited accesses, creating about a mile of "dead" haul time in both directions. A second site on the north west side of the city is being considered. Cost is a major factor in getting this up and running since the site must be engineered to Alberta Environment standards. According to provincial regulations, snow may be pushed to the boulevard for storage and/or windrowed along the street. Once it is collected in a truck, it's deemed a hazardous material and must be stored as such.
We’re currently taking input from residents on this topic and will consider suggestions on how to improve the city’s snow removal, keeping in mind that additional equipment and/or service levels will impact taxes. The review will provide us with more information to act upon. I think a good piece of input to consider is how much snow removal is expected by residents in a normal year – one, two, three or four times per winter. I think we currently get an average of two clearings a year around the residential neighborhoods. If people want more, we should set a realistic number as a target and find out how much that will cost.
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