King is ready to tackle the snow and ice expected on Dec
. 15 and 16 during a forecasted snowstorm.
King has also declared a Significant Weather Event starting today at 10:30 a.m., based on Environment Canada’s forecast for snow in the next two days.
Snow is expected to start around 8 a.m. Thursday morning, with intense periods leading to up to 10 centimetres of snow by 4 p.m. The storm is expected to continue into Friday afternoon with a total accumulation of up to 20 centimetres.
King’s roads crew is ready but it needs your help. Here’s how you can do your part to make sure everyone gets home safely:
- Please don’t park on the road during the storm. This makes it extremely difficult for plows to properly clear the street and, in some cases, make the road impassable to plows. It’s also critically important to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles and school buses.
- When our plows come to intersections, give them space as they may be turning around to finish clearing the street.
- When plows are doing their finishing pass on the road, they must keep their speed slow to have the sand/salt mix fall in the centre of the road. Please be patient.
- Please respect the snow clearing team by not shovelling snow onto the street and don’t place waste containers on the road. Our bylaw department will be enforcing parking issues.
King's winter maintenance crews are responsible for clearing over 320 kilometres of roads. The Township's fleet includes two graders, 12 plows—complete with sand and salt units—and six contracted sidewalk plows.
King will remove snow from roads when severe accumulations affect two-way traffic and the ability for on-street parking. This may take several days after accumulations occur and is performed on a priority basis. The Township’s road system currently contains many cul-de-sacs and King understand the frustration that can occur for affected residents.
Some snowstorms last many hours or have initial freezing rain that turns into snow. In these conditions, a re-plowing of priority streets may be required to maintain traffic safety. Re-plowing may occur before road crews can move on to other local streets.
Most routes are serviced within a 12-hour period. Clearance times may be longer when snowfall is exceptionally heavy, there are complications due to freezing rain, many cars are parked on the street or crews are working during peak traffic times. In accordance with Ministry of Labour Regulations, drivers cannot work more than 13 hours without a rest period. This can impact snow clearance time.
Stay home if you don’t have to travel. If you do have to drive, here are some tips for travelling in snowy or icy conditions:
- Leave early and give yourself time.
- Leave lots of space between yourself and other motorists. Remember to feather your brakes instead of braking aggressively.
- Downshift into a lower gear when coming down hills and into corners.
- When climbing hills get enough speed to get up. Do not stop in the middle of the hills.
- Keep cat litter or a pail of sand in your trunk to use for traction under your tires if you get stuck on ice or in snow.
- Keep extra blankets/clothing/gloves/hat, flashlights with extra batteries and a snow shovel in your car.
For more information on snow removal in King, please visit http://www.king.ca/snowremoval.