For any municipality, public safety during winter storms is their top priority. However, as we saw last winter, winter operations are impacted by a variety of factors including population density, real time response to changes in weather, and heavy accumulation slowing the efforts of plows, first responders and hydro workers.
In a news release, the Town of Huntsville shared information on how residents and Town staff can work together to weather storms.
- Overnight street parking (from 12 to 6 a.m.) is prohibited on Town roads in Huntsville from November 1 to April 15. Vehicles parked in violation could be towed.
- Avoid parking in Town parking lots overnight as this is the only time they can remove snow from the lots. More effective snow clearing operations in our parking lots will provide more parking spaces during the day.
- Keep garbage cans and bins off the right of way and road allowances, and ensure garbage cans are not on the road on garbage day.
- Do not shovel, blow or plow snow out onto a public roadway. This is illegal under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, and a fine is possible. In addition, clearing a small section of the snowbank before your driveway will help minimize any snow pushed onto your driveway from the plow.
“Snow plowing and removal is critical to the daily lives of all Huntsville residents, and there are times when our plows escort ambulances and fire trucks to emergencies,” shares Randy Bissonette, Director of Operations for the Town of Huntsville. “Our plow truck drivers are our lifeline, especially during significant winter weather events, so it’s important we all do what we can to help them do their jobs and be as efficient as possible.”
The Town of Huntsville’s Operations Department continuously reviews its winter operations and makes changes to improve its service and strengthen the investment into winter road maintenance. This year, Huntsville has added a new full-time role to the Operations Department to help monitor standards and improve the efficiency of winter road operations. The new patrol role will provide timely road-specific condition reports to the Operations Department to help allocate resources where they are needed most. This role will also ticket vehicles that are parked illegally and are inhibiting winter maintenance operations. Previously, plow drivers had to stop their route and exit their trucks to ticket these vehicles. With this new role, plow truck drivers will be able to focus solely on clearing the road this winter.
In addition, Huntsville will have four new plow trucks this winter to replace plow trucks that are at the end of their lifecycle. Council expedited the order of these units to improve service to the community by providing more reliable resources to the Town’s Operations department. These plows will play a critical role in daily winter roads operations and during significant weather events.
From November 1 to April 15, the Town of Huntsville plows, sands, salts and removes snow more than 400 km of roads and 30 kms of sidewalk. This includes 10 plow routes and on average, each route takes eight to nine hours to complete. When the weather clears, the Town moves from plowing operations to snow removal, taking away the large banks that accumulate on the roadside.
Here’s what residents can expect from Huntsville with regards to plowing: All the roads in Huntsville are individually assessed and designated a class based on the traffic volume and speed limit. The class of the road sets the provincially regulated Minimum Maintenance Standards which dictate how much snow can be on the road before plows are sent out. Also, highways and district roads in the Town of Huntsville are not plowed by the Town. This means that when there are significant weather events elsewhere in the District of Muskoka and an emergency is declared, the Minimum Maintenance Standards for district roads in Huntsville change.
Plow routes change: Residents may grow accustomed to the time of day the plow drives by. Each year, the Town reevaluates the plow routes to ensure greater efficiency. This means that residents may notice the plow drives by at a different time this winter. Every plow route has a start and an end. This means that inevitably, someone’s house is the last to see a plow drive by. However, Town plows are equipped with a GPS. That means at the end of a shift, the new driver starts the route where the previous truck left off to ensure equal service for all addresses on the plow route.
Some of the Town roads have a paved shoulder to help store snow during the winter. Snow storage areas are essential in higher density areas where banks can grow high throughout the winter. While residents may use them similarly to sidewalks from spring to fall, these shoulders will not be maintained like a sidewalk throughout the winter.
Last year, Gravenhurst declared a state of emergency from December 1-16 after a dumping of more than 140 centimetres of snow. Town staff and equipment are ready to keep roads and sidewalks clear this winter.
“This is a job we take seriously and one our staff carry out with great pride and diligence,” Communications Specialist Mike Gennings said in a statement to 705BLACKFLY.COM. “We are thankful for the work our team does. Gravenhurst staff members look after more than 70 kilometres of asphalt roads, 63 kilometres of gravel roads, and 132 kilometres of surface treated roads, and roughly 24 kilometres of sidewalk.”
Gravenhurst says that their mission is to provide safe roads and sidewalks throughout the winter season in a cost effective and efficient manner, adding that “the public can help us do our job by ensuring there are no obstacles left on sidewalks or on roadways.”
Residents are also being reminded that there is no overnight parking on local roads during the winter months. Vehicles parked on roads overnight can impact snow removal operations.
“We also remind people to be prepared for winter weather,” Mike says. “Please ensure you check the weather conditions before heading out. And give yourself extra time to reach your destination. Please ensure your vehicle has a full tank of gas and that you are using winter tires. And please ensure that your cell phone is fully charged before departing. If the weather is nasty and you don’t really need to go out, please stay home.
Residents are also reminded to ensure they have enough provisions at home for an extended period. This includes food, fuel, and medicine.
One last important message from Gravenhurst: “We’d like to call on people to act with kindness this winter. There are going to be days where due to weather the road conditions will be less than ideal. Please refrain from getting angry with plow operators and others in the community. People are doing their best. And please, during storm events, check on your neighbours to see how they are managing.”
On Facebook, Hydro One is also assuring the public that they are preparing for the winter storm stating: We’re monitoring conditions closely, and if outages occur, our crews are ready to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
Customers are encouraged to prepare for the potential of an extended power outage. This includes restocking your emergency kit with items like water, nonperishable food and cash. Find more ideas on what your kit should include head to Hydro One’s website. If outages occur, customers can report it by texting 92887 (WATTS) or through our outage map.
