Barrie has had significant snowfall before the official start of winter, with multiple lake-effect snow events dumping upwards of 80 centimetres of snow since November 1.
As a result, the City of Barrie says its winter maintenance crews are working around the clock to maintain the safety and clearance of roads and sidewalks as quickly as possible.
“The volume and frequency of snowfall we’ve experienced this early in the season is unprecedented,” says City of Barrie Director of Operations Dave Friary. “Our crews have been working nonstop, often in back-to-back storms, to manage the accumulation. We want residents to know that every available resource is out on the road.”
With the unprecedented early-season conditions, the City of Barrie has issued some reminders regarding its operations procedures when it comes to winter maintenance.
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PLOWING OF CITY ROADS
When at least five centimetres of snow has fallen, the City says that's when it begins to service priority and secondary roads, which get cleaned up six to eight hours after the end of the snowfall.
Residential roads are plowed when snowfall reached at least eight centimetres, with the City's goal to have them plowed 12 to 24 hours following the weather event.
SIDEWALK PLOWING
The City says sidewalk plowing is done on priority sidewalks when five centimetres of snow falls and on secondary sidewalks when there’s eight centimetres of snow.
PARKING RESTRICTIONS
On-street parking is not permitted on City streets from 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. within the Downtown Business Improvement Area, from December 1 through March 31.
The City says those measures ensure that the streets can be completely cleared and are accessible to large emergency vehicles.
On-street parking is permitted on the following dates and times unless a "Winter Maintenance Event" is declared by 4 p.m. on the day prior:
- 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on December 25
- 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on December 26
- 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on January 1
WASTE COLLECTION
The City recommends that residents shovel out a small area at the bottom of their driveway for your garbage cart, organics cart, and recycling bins.
It is not recommended that the bins are placed on top, behind, or within 0.6 metres of a snowbank. Instead, carts should be placed out of the path of snow removal equipment.
WINDROWS
Windrows—the pile of snow left at the end of a driveway after the road plow passes—are a common frustration, especially during heavy snowfall. Residents have voiced their frustration with the City, often asking why windrows can't serviced. \
In response, the City says the scale and cost of creating a new program and providing this service in Barrie make it impractical. Early estimates put the cost of city-wide windrow clearing services at more than $12 million every year, plus $8.5 million in new equipment.
Physically, the service would require about 45 additional machines and more than 90 contracted personnel. Even then, the service would still leave some snow behind for the residents to clear themselves.
The City says the additional costs, plus the consideration of the area's annual snowfall volume, means it will continue to focus its resources on servicing roads, sidewalks, and emergency routes.
