The City of Parksville has released its annual plan to deal with road conditions in snowy and icy weather during the winter months.
The city maintains and manages approximately 100 kilometres of paved roadways. Severe weather can seriously impact the city from a social, environmental, and economic perspective with an unsafe road network, according to a news release by the city.
To provide an effective and efficient response which aligns with council’s strategic vision, Council Policy No. 8.10 was developed where roads have been classified into three priorities.
There are approximately 23 kilometres of strategic and arterial roads which include transit routes, major access to hillside areas and emergency routes. These first priority roads include the Island Highway and Alberni Highway, as well as hillsides and emergency access roads. They are maintained until conditions are reasonably safe winter road conditions, subject to worker and equipment availability, weather and budgetary limitations.
Second priority roadways include approximately 11 kilometres of remaining hillside and collector routes. The remaining approximately 66 kilometres of local roads, cul-de-sacs and laneways are considered third priority.
To prepare for winter conditions, training sessions are held for staff to prepare them for snow conditions. Equipment resources are prepared, including installation of plowing, sanding and brining accessories to ensure everything is operational for an efficient response time.
Operations staff continuously monitor roads and weather conditions throughout the winter months. Weather forecasts are monitored through the Weather Network and Environment Canada websites.
Should snow, ice or frost be in the forecast, staff are scheduled to apply anti-ice (salt brine) to the roads prior to the event or be ready to have truck plows with salters for snow removal. Staff will then be dispatched accordingly to first priority roads per council policy.
During snowfall, staff will continue to maintain first priority roads until they are in a reasonably safe winter condition, once those road conditions have stabilized, staff will move to second priority and then third. If at anytime conditions worsen, staff will revert to first and second priority routes which may then take additional time to attend to third priority local and residential roads.
City staff will clear snow on sidewalks adjacent to park properties and as well as other city-owned facilities. For businesses and residents, snow clearing from sidewalks is the responsibility of the adjacent property owners or business who are required to ensure snow removed from the sidewalks, boulevards or private property is not deposited on the adjoining roadway, city property or highways. There is a $50 fine for failure to do so.
The city clears parking lots at city-owned facilities such as the Parksville Volunteer Fire Department access and lot, access and parking lot at the Jensen Centre, Parksville Civic and Technology Centre access and lot, and other city parking lots as required.
Wherever possible, drivers are asked to not park vehicles on the streets during periods of snowfall as this impedes the snow clearing operations. While plowing roadways, a windrow of snow may be formed across driveways. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable, especially during heavy snowfalls.
As the city does not have the equipment or personnel for a private driveway/access clearing program, it is the owner’s responsibility to open access to the adjoining roadway. Clearing of private roads and parking lots is the responsibility of the property owners who are required to ensure that snow removed from their property is not deposited on the adjoining public sidewalks or roadway.
Additional information is provided on the city’s website. Residents can view a colour-coded map of priority routes by accessing the map on the city’s website. When conditions are present, City vehicles with snow-removal capacity will focus on clearing the main artery of Highway 19A as well as clearing of other Priority A routes, as outlined in red on this map.
