PW_07-18 Snow and Ice Removal Policy — full text

This is an automated transcription (OCR) of the captured official document — minor recognition errors are possible; the source document governs. Snapshot ef6affdb0155 · verified 2026-06-10 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

## 1. PRINCIPLES Riverdale Municipality desires to maintain the town streets, lanes, and municipal-owned parking lots and rural roads in the winter months in a safe and functional condition, to reduce economic losses to the community and industry caused by restricted traffic conditions, to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles throughout the winter months, and to provide an equitable level of service to all residents of Riverdale Municipality. The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for snow plowing/removal on streets, lanes, and rural roads and ice control on streets. The policy will provide for the development of snow clearing procedures. ## 2. PREAMBLE This policy operates in addition to other policies and bylaws of Riverdale Municipality. ## 3. DEFINITIONS Municipal Operations Foreman - means the Riverdale Municipality Department Head responsible for the Public Works and Utility Departments operations, or any person designated to act in his/her stead Employee -- any person employed by Riverdale Municipality, and includes the Chief Administrative Officer, designated officers, full-time, part-time, contract, or casual employees Major Storm Event - Snowfall accumulations greater than 25 cm Routine Maintenance -- snow clearing procedures when accumulated snow pack exceeds 8 cm or when dangerous conditions exist (taking wind into account) Snow Control Area - means an area containing highways, streets, and lanes that have been designated by the Municipal Operations Foreman to be cleared of snow or ice ## Snow and Ice Removal Policy PW-07-18   Policy Number PW\_07-18 Approval Date: February 5th , 2019 Snow & Ice Removal Policy Resolution Number: 30-19  ## Snow and Ice Removal Policy PW-07-18 Snow Event -- means a declaration by the Municipal Operations Foreman that snowfall of 7cm or more centimetres requires a street or snow control area to be cleared of snow or ice Storm Event - Snowfall accumulation greater than 8 cm and less than 25 cm ## 4. SCOPE This policy applies to snow and ice plowing and removal carried out by Riverdale Municipality and private contractors on highways, streets, lanes, and sidewalks, within the boundaries of Riverdale Municipality ## 5. GENERAL GUIDELINES - 1) Street Conditions are to be monitored by the Municipal Operations Foreman or his designate, and plowing will be done in accordance with the provisions of this policy. - 1) Traffic movement will be monitored during I snow storms and plowing may be delayed, preferably until the storm has subsided. - 2) If traffic becomes stalled and the storm has not subsided, sufficient plowing will be done to keep the traffic moving. - 3) Annually each fall the Municipal Operations Foreman may tender snow removal proposals from local contractors. Snow removal equipment will be rented/leased as required from the proposals received - 4) Overtime and call back of seasonal employees will be at the discretion of the Municipal Operations Foreman. ## 6. PRIORITIES The following order of priority is a guideline to be used for plowing: ## Community of Rivers - 1) Second Avenue Business Sector (400, 500 and 600 blocks of 2nd Avenue) Main Street (from 100 block to 200 block, Columbia Street (from the 100 block to the 200 block) Quebec Street - 100 block to Second Ave - To be completed prior to 7:30am - Zone 1 - 2) Access to Police Station, Fire Hall, Hospital, and Civic Centre - 3) Residential - 100 block of Alberta Street across to Willow Drive (see map) - 4) School Zones and Seniors' Housing Units - 5) Garbage collection areas in advance of collection day - 6) Streets and Avenues on fringe area that may be blown in - 7) Taylor Road, Whitetail Drive and the municipal compound - Zone 3 Rural Area, including Chimo (Daly Beach Road & Wheatland) - 1) School bus routes - 2) Daly Beach Road, Wahtapanah Drive, Dakota Drive, Aspen Road - 3) Waste Disposal Ground - 4) Secondary Roads ## 7. MAJOR STORM EVENT - 1) All snow clearing and removal will be done within 72 hours of the conclusion of a major storm event. - 2) Preliminary snow clearing will be done on all streets to ensure streets are passable within 24 hours. - 3) Plowing to ensure movement of traffic may be done on a continuous basis. - 4) When a major storm event subsides, streets may be plowed deeper and wider, and all work will be done on regular shifted time. - 5) Snow clearing will be done in advance of garbage collection where possible. ## 8. STORM EVENT - 1) All snow clearing and removal will be done within 48 hours of the conclusion of the storm event. - 2) All work may be done on regular shifted time; overtime is at the discretion of the Municipal Operations Foreman. - 3) Snow clearing will be done in advance of garbage collection where possible. ## 9. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE - 1) Routine maintenance snow clearing will be carried out when snow accumulations are greater than 8 cm in priority areas (1) through (4) under Community of Rivers, and (1) & (2) under Rural, as identified in Section 6 - Priorities. 2. Routine maintenance snow clearing may be carried out in areas other than listed in 1) above, when snow pack accumulations are greater than 12 cm or when rutting provides for dangerous driving conditions. - 3) All work will be done on regular shifted time. - 4) Snow clearing will be done in advance of garbage collection where possible. ## Snow and Ice Removal Policy PW-07-18 ## 10. BACK LANES - URBAN - 1) Back lanes utilized for garbage collection or main residential access, will be cleared by the municipality to the same standard as streets in Rivers. - 2) Balance of back lanes to be cleared following completion of regular streets ## 11. SIDEWALKS - 1) Sidewalks are to be cleared in accordance with Appendix "A" of this bylaw. - 2) Businesses are responsible for the clearing of sidewalks fronting or flanking the property. See Appendix A - BUSINESS PREMISES - 3) Sidewalks fronting Pocket Parks are to be cleared by Municipal staff. Any unmaintained sidewalks fronting vacant lots or businesses will be cleared by municipal staff and billed to the property owner. ## 12. PARKING LOTS Parking lots that are the responsibility of the Municipality will be cleared within 36 hours of the start of snow clearing operations. ## 13. DRIVEWAYS AND INTERSECTIONS - 1) Private Driveways and Rural Lanes are the responsibility of the property owner and will not be cleared by municipal staff at any time. - 2) Efforts will be made to use equipment on the snow plows to stop snow from piling in driveways during plowing operations. - 3) Snow on boulevards at intersections will be cleared when snow accumulations become hazardous to motor vehicle operations. ## 14. RIGHT-OF-WAY ENCROACHMENTS Landscaping including trees and inanimate materials that are installed or left behind by the property owner (resident) on the municipal right-of-way, will be the responsibility of the property owner (resident). The property owner (resident) will accept risk and damage due directly or indirectly to snow removal operations will not be eligible for compensation. The municipality will not assume any responsibility for damage to aboveground or underground sprinkler systems, exterior lighting or personal property stored or installed on any municipal right-of-way. ## 15. SANDING - 1) Sanding of intersections on streets as well as municipal owned facilities will generally be done with sand mixed with an agent designed to freeze proof the material when it is stockpiled ## Snow and Ice Removal Policy PW-07-18 ## Snow and Ice Removal ## Policy PW-07-18 - 2) Sanding will commence when snow/freezing conditions are present that result in slippery conditions. - 3) Street sanding will generally be done 30 m in advance of any stop, yield, or traffic signal. - 4) Street sanding will generally be done in accordance with the priorities in Section 6 of this policy. - 5) Under severe icing conditions, the entire length of arterial and high traffic streets may be sanded ## Snow and Ice Removal Appendix "A" ## SNOW, ICE OR DIRT - BUSINESS PREMISES Every occupant, or in the event where there is no occupant, the owner, or person having charge or care of every business premise, shop, building, lot or parcel of land fronting or abutting on any Street highlighted in pink and marked as Zone 1 on Figure "1" hereto shall: - 1) before 10:00 hours on each day (10 o'clock in the forenoon), following every fall of snow, hail or rain, which shall freeze on the sidewalk, or after falling of snow or ice from off any building, in those areas included within Zone 1 of Figure "1" hereto, cause the same to be removed entirely off the sidewalk fronting or abutting on such premise, shop, building, lot or parcel of land, provided always that in the event the ice or snow shall lie so frozen upon the surface, preventing it from being removed without damage to the sidewalks, every such person as aforesaid shall strew the same with ashes, sand, or some other suitable substance which will not damage the said sidewalk surface; further provided no person shall remove from any street, boulevard or sidewalk in such a manner that could create a hazardous condition for either vehicular or pedestrian traffic: or, - 2) before 10:00 hours on each day, (10 o'clock in the forenoon) remove from the sidewalk fronting or abutting the aforesaid properties all dirt or other obstructions: and, - 3) when the day for a clean-up under paragraphs (a) and/or (b) hereof falls on a holiday, then the clean tip may be delayed until the day following the holiday, except when a business affected by this provision is open on any such holiday, then said provisions are to be met on the holiday: and, - 4) where the provisions of paragraphs (a) and/or (b) hereof have not been met within twentyfour hours of the time specified in the said clauses, then the Designated Officer shall notify the Municipal Operations Foreman who shall cause the snow, ice, dirt or other obstructions to be removed forthwith by his staff, the expense of such clean up to be recorded and charged to the owner or owners of the land in default; and, - 5) the Municipal Operations Foreman shall monthly report all such expenditures to the CAO and the expenditures shall be charged against the adjacent lot or parcel of land on the tax roll for the calendar year of such clean up and collected in the same manner as ordinary municipal taxes. ## 2. SNOW OR ICE - ALL PROPERTIES - 1) It shall be an offense for any person to remove from any private property, public property, street, boulevard or sidewalk excluding those areas included within Zone 1 on Figure "1" hereto, any snow or ice and deposit same on any street, boulevard or sidewalk in such a manner that could create a hazardous condition for either vehicular or pedestrian traffic. - 2) Subsection (a) shall not apply to the municipality, the Department of Highways, their agents or employees who are actively engaged in snow removal from streets, boulevards or roads in the course of their employment or fulfillment of contract. Any person occupying a property where a building abuts the property line adjacent to a street in such a manner that snow cannot be cleared onto the property may pile the snow at the curb line of the street in such a manner that both vehicular and pedestrian traffic can pass only if a hazardous condition is not cleared when snow is piled in this manner until such time as it can be hauled to a designated snow dump area Figure 1 - Downtown Sidewalk Snow Clearing Zone 1 - Business Area ## Snow and Ice Removal Policy PW-07-18