SNOW AND ICE CONTROL PLAN

The City of St. Thomas' Snow and Ice Control Plan has been designed to achieve the following objectives:

• To meet or exceed Municipal Act Regulation 239/02
• To reduce the hazards of icy road conditions to motorists
• To reduce economic losses to the community and industry caused by workers not being able to get to their jobs on time
• To facilitate the handling of emergencies by fire, police and ambulance officials
• To maintain as safe as possible, all school bus and public transit routes

Approved Quality Standards Summary

When will my street be plowed?

In the City of St. Thomas there are approximately 425 lane kilometres of streets and approximately 170 kilometres of sidewalk.  Not all of these streets need to be maintained in the winter to the same degree.  City Streets are plowed according to the Minimum Maintenance Standard (MMS) Classification set out by Municipal Act Regulation 239/02. The degree of winter maintenance effort will vary in accordance with the role that a particular street plays in the total transportation network.   Below is a description of the Minimum Maintenance Standard for plowing, salting and and sanding of CIty Streets.  Please refer to the map to determine the MMS Classification of your street.

MMS Classification	Plowing begins...	Salting/Sanding Begins...
MMS 1	There are no streets in St. Thomas in this Classification
MMS 2	When snow/slush reaches a depth of 5 cm, within 6 hours of becoming aware of accumulation	Within 4 hours of becoming aware of icy conditions
MMS 3	When snow/slush reaches a depth of 8 cm, within 12 hours of becoming aware of accumulation	Within 8 hours of becoming aware of icy conditions
MMS 4	When snow/slush reaches a depth of 8 cm, within 16 hours of becoming aware of accumulation	Within 12 hours of becoming aware of icy conditions
MMS 5 & 6	When snow/slush reaches a depth of 10 cm, within 24 hours of becoming aware of accumulation	Within 16 hours of becoming aware of icy conditions

Salting and Sanding

Salt is applied early in a storm to prevent snow from sticking to the pavement.  If plowing is required later, the plow is then able to clear the pavement completely.  Salting will be done again after the plow has passed to keep ice off the pavement.  Critical areas such as steep hills, curves, intersections and approaches to railroad crossings are salted throughout a storm.  Sand is usually applied to MMS Classified streets 5 & 6.  To find out when your street will be salted or sanded please see the above chart.

Sidewalk Cleaning 

Generally, sidewalk snow plowing will commence when the snow has accumulated to 15 cm.  The time that plowing commences may vary due to time of day and available manpower, and is normally carried out during regular working hours. The priority by which sidewalks are plowed is:
 i) all arterial roads and designated school areas with sidewalks receive first priority

ii) upon completion of i) above, all other sidewalks shall be plowed following designated routes when manpower and equipment are available.

To the best of our knowledge, there remains in effect a century old by-law (#969) which requires either the occupant or owner of property abutting on any street where there is a sidewalk, to remove or cause to be removed such snowfall within four hours following the snow event. For the safety and convenience of all pedestrians, we urge you to do your part in keeping the sidewalks clear.

Some Streets Throw our Plows a Curve

If you live on a cul-de-sac, or on a street with a radius elbow corner, you may already be aware that these streets are special challenges for snow clearing crews.  We'd like to share with you both the guidelines we follow and some of the challenges we face on these special streets whenever our plows go out on the road. 

 
Conventional and somewhat large snow removal equipment in these cul-de-sacs and radius elbow corner is at best, difficult to maneuver.  Upon the accumulation of substantial snow, excess snow has to be piled in the centre portion of cul-de-sacs or on the city owned portion of streets and boulevards.  Upon time and equipment becoming available, this excess snow is usually hauled to some other location.  We trust that you will understand that during stormy weather conditions, our crew's first priority is to clear roadways and get the city moving safely again.

What is a windrow and why is it in my driveway?

Although we all look forward to having the streets plowed, no one really looks forward to that pile of snow left at the end of the driveway.  We understand your frustration with this situation; once you've cleared your driveway, it can be annoying to see it obstructed with a pile of snow, or a windrow, left behind by the plow. 

Plows push most of the accumulated snow along the roadway.  But some snow normally moves to the side of the plow blade.  As the plow moves past driveways, that snow falls to one side forming a windrow. It is unfortunately up to the home owner to clear this snow left behind by the plow. Please be that Section 170 (15)  of the Highway Traffic Act prohibits the depostiting of snow or ice on a roadway.