City working to keep roads clean during snow event
By Lethbridge Herald on January 17, 2024.
A utility vehicle clears sidewalks by the Galt Museum Wednesday morning as a winter snowstorm descended upon Lethbridge. The forecast is calling for the weather to clear heading into the weekend.
Herald photo by Al BeeberAlejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com
The City of Lethbridge is doing what it can to keep residents on the move by continuing to plow snow during the heavy snowfall this week, which is expected to have a total accumulation of approximately 35 centimetres.
Snow routes have been activated in response to heavy snow accumulation and more snowfall in the forecast, and residents are expected to move their vehicles by noon today.
Environment Canada expects the snow to begin tapering off this morning.
Transportation Operations Manager with the City of Lethbridge, Juliane Ruck spoke to reporters Wednesday afternoon during a shift change for snowplow operators, and said crews are ready and working hard to make sure residents have the best winter driving conditions possible.
“Right now we have nine plow trucks available and they’re ready to go… they are working 24 hours, seven days a week,” said Ruck.
She reminded residents snow routes are in effect and it is important for them to move their vehicles from snow routes when activated to help operators do their job effectively.
“We are asking again that residents please remove your cars from the streets. It’s really cumbersome for our big equipment to move around it. We don’t want to damage anybody’s property so please remove your cars by noon tomorrow. There will also be tickets issued,” said Ruck.
She said during the previous snow event, many residents were unable to move their vehicles due to extreme cold temperatures, but now that the weather is better, she hopes people will.
Ruck said creating safe winter driving conditions is a team effort in which everyone plays a part.
“While everybody is out there shovelling, please help your neighbours. Be mindful, don’t shovel it onto the road – that creates more difficulties for our operation. Shovel it onto the boulevards and green spaces – that would help a lot,” said Ruck.
In a news release the City shared some reminders as well:
• Don’t crowd the plows. Crews will be removing snow in the downtown and hospital areas at night, starting this evening. Look for beacon lights, stay behind blocker trucks, and use extreme caution when passing operations. Only pass snowplows when visibility is clear and it is safe to do so.
• The live snowplow tracking map accessible through the city website, is a tool that can help plan your commute and show you where snowplows are working. Choosing roads that have been cleared recently and avoiding routes where many plows are working together is one way to practice safe winter driving.
The release also reminds residents of ways to stay informed regarding snow removal across the city.
• Download the Lethbridge Loop app. Get smartphone notifications to let you know when snow routes are activated/deactivated.
• Follow City of Lethbridge social media accounts for up-to-date information
• Find and subscribe to email notifications for public service announcements through the News section of lethbridge.ca
• Call or online chat with 311 to confirm snow route status during weekdays.
20-19
clarify – keep a relative handful of roads cleared. meanwhile, make the residents clear the sidewalks, despite high property taxes. if the city cleared their sidewalks, all sidewalks could be clear for pedestrians, rather than the awful and dangerous mishmash that our present systems delivers.
also – a big thank you to the ridiculous expenditures related to the new curbs, whereby what should have been just a small section lowered to road level for wheelchair and easier access turned into several times the expense. another pocket liner? a real bonus, too, for those living on corner lots, as their shoveling of city sidewalks increased a good measure.
The City’s response to snow clearing falls woefully behind what one should expect given the level of taxes paid to live here.