The City of Kawartha Lakes has useful tips on road safety, snow removal, and your weekly garbage and recycling routine on its website. The city has also outlined its priorities for removing snow from various roads. Follow snow plows with caution

• Don’t follow a working snow plow too closely. Keep a safe distance, especially on hills and at intersections. Snow plows often travel at a slow speed as they are removing snow and spreading salt or sand on roadways.
• Never pass a snow plow. Snow plows are wider than the average vehicle. They have large blades that extend one metre or more into the neighbouring lane. Passing a snow plow could lead to a collision.
• Beware of reduced visibility. Even at slower plowing speeds, light powdery snow produces a cloud in the wake of a snow plow that severely compromises a driver’s visibility and makes passing extremely dangerous.

Drive carefully

• Slow down, be cautious, and aware.
• Drive to the current weather and road conditions. Higher-than-normal winds can cause drifting and possible white-out conditions.
• Be patient and allow extra time to reach your destination.
• If possible, let the salt work on the roads before you drive.

The city’s priorities when it comes to tackling snow

1. Major roads The city gives arterial roads, collector roads, transit, and school bus roads priority to ensure residents and emergency service vehicles can safely travel to hospitals, schools, and work. The city’s goal is to achieve bare pavement on these major roads – the key routes for emergency vehicles, public transportation, and most street traffic. During a prolonged winter storm, the city focuses on keeping the through lanes of the main roads clear and safe, which could result in a delay in clearing lower-volume roads.

2. Residential streets and side roads Once the major roads are clear, the municipality’s snow-clearing crews address residential streets and side roads, which account for most city roads. The city’s objective is to achieve centre-bare surface condition or better on hard-surfaced roads. (The pavement in the centre of the road is visible, but snow may cover other parts of the roadway.) A second goal is to remove all of the loose snow from the gravel roads. The city doesn’t use salt on gravel roads. For this reason, expect gravel roads to remain snow-packed. Road crews apply sand to gravel roads to help with traction. When it comes to longer storms, the city’s goal is to manage the accumulation of new snow and, as a result, make roads safe and passable to allow motorists to reach the major roads. During a longer storm, the city’s goal is to achieve a snow-packed surface on gravel roads.

3. Cleanup Once the residential streets and side roads are clear, cleanup of turning lanes, ramps, and parking lanes follows. During cleanup, roads are completely sanded. Afterward, roads are sanded in those areas that require additional traction as a result of heavy traffic. Such areas typically include hills, curves, and intersections.

The city’s overall goals for clearing snow The municipality’s goal is to complete snow-clearing within 24 hours after the end of a winter storm. Heavy snowfalls of more than 15 centimetres (six inches) or back-to-back storms can extend snow-clearing operations to 48 hours or more after a winter storm. However, these situations are exceptional. Each plow truck has an assigned route. Depending on the timing and severity of the storm in your area, routes are complete within six to eight hours.

Tips on addressing snow at your cottage and other savvy practices to adopt

• Put your garbage in your driveway and not on the road allowance on garbage collection days.
• Don’t place recycling bins on top of snow banks or out in the road where they may block traffic and get hit.
• Pile snow on the right side of your driveway or the down-side of the plow. Placing snow on the right side will help to reduce snow build-up in your driveway.
• Do not push snow or ice from your driveway onto the road, including the traveled portion, the shoulder, and the islands. This dangerous practice leads to drainage problems, drifting snow, and sight obstructions. Pushing snow on the road also compromises the municipality’s snow-removal efforts.
• Don’t park on the road – leave your vehicle in your driveway.
• Replace your mailbox post if necessary. Old posts become rotten, and the weight of plowed snow can push them over.

If you have questions about your road and snow removal, please call the City of Kawartha Lakes at 705-324-9411 or 1-888-822-2225.

Are you curious about the condition of provincial highways after a storm? You may be wondering about the driving conditions on provincial highways in the area. The following provincial highways run within the City of Kawartha Lakes:

• Highway 7
• Highway 7A
• Highway 35
• Highway 115

The Province of Ontario has contracted maintenance services for these highways to Carillion Canada Inc. in Concord. The 24-7 provincial maintenance service telephone number is 1-877-979-0998.

Photo courtesy of Martin Cathrae No Alterations Made - Creative Commons