Who Determines Which Streets Get Plowed First?
The Town of Gravenhurst follows the provincially prescribed standards for winter maintenance (Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, O. Reg. 239/02 (as amended). Roads are categorized into five main classes. Class 1, 2 and 3 or priority roads, which typically are highways and main arterial roads take first priority. Classes 4 and 5, which include local streets and cul-de-sacs, have less priority.
Who Determines Which Streets Get Plowed First?
The Town of Gravenhurst follows the provincially prescribed standards for winter maintenance (Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, O. Reg. 239/02 (as amended). Roads are categorized into five main classes. Class 1, 2 and 3 or priority roads, which typically are highways and main arterial roads take first priority. Classes 4 and 5, which include local streets and cul-de-sacs, have less priority.
How does the town determine if it needs to dispatch resources?
Each night in the winter months, the town's roads patroller hops in a vehicle and drives around the community to determine whether we need to dispatch resources.
If the answer is no, crews begin their regular shift at 7 a.m. and their work focuses on minor road and sidewalk clean-up, as required. Crews then focus on non-snow related jobs such as tree trimming, catch basin ice removal, etc.
If the roads patroller determines that the snowfall has met the Minimum Maintenance Standards criteria, as outlined in O. Reg. 239/02, they call in crews in a phased manner. This means a 2 a.m. start for one crew and a 4 a.m. start for the other crew.
The 2 a.m. crew focuses on urban routes and the 4 a.m. crew focuses on the rural areas. Regardless the crew, the first job is to plow the road. Once the main routes are plowed, the sidewalk crews are dispatched around 5 a.m. These crews focus on the sidewalks until they are cleared. On weekends, the focus is main road sidewalks and this is because of staffing resources.
There are two sidewalk routes. They focuses on school areas, senior areas, and the downtown core first and then they branch out.
We do our best to make sure sidewalks are completely bare. But at minimum they will be cleared to a snow-packed base and sanded.
Ultimately, under the provincial regulations, we have 48 hours to clear sidewalks, but we always strive to exceed this.
Most of our roads are Class 3, 4, and 5 and this means we have 12 to 24 hours to clear them. Of course, we regularly exceed this requirement.
Why does the plow truck always put snow in my driveway?
Snow routes must be plowed in the safest and most efficient way possible. Unfortunately, there will always be an amount of snow plowed into driveways and this is unavoidable. The Town will not clear the snow deposited into your driveway.
If you have a physical or medical condition that may affect your ability to clear this snow we recommend asking a friend, neighbour or consider hiring a private service. High school students can earn community service hours towards their diploma – reach out to our community youth!
When clearing the bottom of your driveway, we suggest piling your snow on the 'away' side i.e. - so that the plow truck will not push the snow back onto your driveway.
Why is it taking so long for my street to be cleared?
In order to make sure that critical services like Police, Fire and Paramedics can do their job, our first priority is always the main roads and arteries.
In extreme heavy snowfall events, our plow trucks may have to clear these same roads repeatedly before they can reach other areas. This is why you may notice that some residential streets have been cleared and yours still hasn't. Our crews will keep going until all streets have been reached.
My street is not clear yet. How is an ambulance or fire truck going to reach my home?
In an emergency do not hesitate to dial 9-1-1, even if your road is not cleared. Police, Fire and Paramedic services will contact the Town if they cannot reach an area. We receive many calls from residents asking for roads to be cleared because they need to get to an appointment and want the road opened immediately. We can't respond to these requests as our resources must follow their designated routes.
My kids want to build a fort in the snow banks at the side of the street/snow pile in my cul-de-sac - is it okay for them to do that?
There are lots of great ways for kids to get outside to enjoy the winter weather, but we do not recommend that they build a fort in either the snow banks along the street or the pile of snow in the center of the cul-de-sacs because it is not safe. Crews routinely have to cut back these banks to make room for more snow and a child could be seriously injured (or worse). There are fun recreation programs to keep the kids active and the in the winter. Visit the Town’s Recreation Guide for more information.
Where can I get a replacement blue bin? The plow hit mine!
As a friendly reminder, all of your waste, recycling, green bins and related materials need to be at least 4 feet away from the edge of your driveway. Our plow trucks have to do their best to fully clear the street and at times the force of the snow can be powerful. If you need a new bin, please contact the District.
I live on a private road. Are you going to plow it?
Who should be clearing the snow away from Canada post mailboxes?
Canada Post is responsible for maintaining snow around their mailboxes.
If you are unable to access your mail box, please contact Canada Post Customer Service.