An eight-day operation to remove packed snow on some city streets begins at 7 a.m. on Sunday.
But how closely city workers can stick to the plan to clear Priority 3 roads — collector roads on bus routes, the downtown core, and residential streets adjacent to schools — depends on the weather.
Ten to 15 cm of snow is forecast for Saturday in Red Deer.
“If we’re going to get pulled away, we’ll still likely roll with Priority 3s and it will likely be focused on the downtown to get that cleared out quickly,” public works manager Greg Sikora said on Friday.
Or the operation could be postponed.
“It all depends on the severity of the snow.”
The intention is to keep working on the Priority 3 roads, but clearing could be reduced to deal with arterial roads. The city’s top priority is to clear arterial roads with hills, bridges and high-collision intersections. Priority 2 are the remaining arterial roads.
Arterial clearing begins at 2.5 cm of snow (one inch).
Priority 3 road clearing will start in the Kentwood and Johnstone areas and working south, while another crew will start in the Vanier Woods subdivision and work north.
No parking signs will be placed on the roads a minimum of 12 hours before they are plowed. But in the event of equipment failure or bad weather, signs may remain on some streets for up to three days before they are cleared.
If vehicles are left parked on signed streets, they will be ticketed and towed with the owner of the vehicle responsible for the cost.
Drivers are also reminded not to pass snowblowers on the left. “By passing the equipment it creates the potential for a collision. If motorists just wait a few minutes for a truck to load, traffic can then proceed to the right of the snow blower safely,” Sikora said.
For more information on the city’s snow and ice control policy visit www.reddeer.ca.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com
