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Municipality of Middlesex Centre
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Winter Maintenance
Frequently Asked Questions
Snow Safety Tips & Etiquette
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Be a good neighbor, please lend a helping hand to those who may not be
physically able to shovel.
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To help keep your children safe, please don't let them play in the snow piles or
on the snow banks at the side of the road.
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When you are clearing snow, please pile it on your property and do not throw it
back onto the sidewalk or street.
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Please place your garbage bins, and blue bins on a cleared area not on the
roadway or sidewalk - do not place them on the top of snow piles. For more
information, contact Bluewater Recycling Association.
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You can help prevent street flooding and icing by clearing snow away from storm
sewer catch basins. When the weather turns warmer and snow begins to melt, it
is important that the runoff water gets into the storm sewer. If the catch basin is
fully or even partially obstructed by a build-up of snow and ice, street flooding
can occur. Should the temperature drop again after the flooding, the street can
become icy.
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Residents are asked to please remove snow from around all municipal fire
hydrants in a timely manner without damaging the hydrant. Hydrants are also to
be cleared of any shrubs or hedges. It is imperative that all fire hydrants are
easily accessible to the Fire Department.
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If you need help or require assistance clearing your driveway we suggest you
consider contacting Snow Angels. Or if you are able to help or lend a hand
registering with Snow Angels is a great way to help others in our community.
Things you can do to help
1. When you shovel your driveway, place the snow on the "downstream" (right side)
of your driveway, this will help reduce the size of the windrow left on your
driveway the next time the plow comes by.
2. Observe and comply with Property Standards and Right of Way By-laws.
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3. Don't park overnight on any municipal street or road. The municipal parking by-
law does not allow parking on municipal roads between Labour Day and Victoria
Day, from 2 am to 7 am.
4. Don't push snow from a driveway or parking lot onto a municipal street or
sidewalk.
5. Don't park your vehicle at the end of your driveway in a way that would impede
municipal plows.
6. Try to keep the catch basin adjacent to your property free from ice and snow to
help prevent localized flooding.
7. Don't place garbage bins or recycling bins where they can be buried, damaged or
interfere with snow removal.
8. Avoid installing mailboxes where they can be damaged by plowing
operations. Canada Post can provide guidelines concerning the proper distances
mailboxes should be placed from road surfaces.
FAQ's
Why does the snow plow leave such a pile of snow across my driveway after I've
just shoveled it out?
The plows are designed to remove snow from the road and deposit it on the boulevard.
Driveways form part of the boulevard. The municipality does not have the resources to
remove the snow from driveways. We appreciate that this can be frustrating, however,
we ask for your cooperation in clearing the snow without placing it on the roadway, as
this is dangerous and in contravention of the Highway Traffic Act and the municipality's
Right of Way By-law. When you shovel your driveway, place the snow "downstream"
(right side) to reduce the likelihood your driveway will be filled in the next time the plow
comes by.
When will my street be plowed?
Where your street lies in relation to where the plow starts and the road classification,
determines the time it takes a plow to get there. The municipality's Winter Maintenance
Plan aims to provide safe roads and sidewalks during the winter season at an affordable
cost.
The municipality has a 24/7 response team equipped with: 14 pieces of combination
road plowing and de-icing equipment, five road plowing graders, two front-end loaders,
Municipality of Middlesex Centre
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three rubber tired backhoes, and 2 sidewalk machines. The response team maintains
the municipality's 583 kms of roadway, and 30 kms of sidewalks. The municipality also
tracks weather conditions and deploys road temperature sensors outfitted to its fleet
which monitors our roads for snow and ice detection.
We have an established plan and routes for clearing snow, and ask that you refrain from
calling during the first day of a snow event.
- After the snowfall ends, it can take 8-12 hours to clear priority roads, and for all
municipal roads approximately 24 hours.
- A larger or continuous snowfall event may extend the time necessary to clear
snow from local streets and cul-de-sacs.
The municipality follows the provincially prescribed standards for winter maintenance
(Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, O. Reg. 239/02). Roads are
categorized into five main classes. Class 1, 2 and 3 or priority roads, which include
arterial and some secondary collectors, take first priority. Classes 4 and 5, which
include local urban streets, rural side roads and cul-de-sacs, have less priority. Priority
roads carry the higher volumes of traffic and are most easily identified as main (arterial)
roads or secondary collector roads. These are the roads people use to get to business
areas and in and out of the municipality. The 'other' roads are primarily residential or
secondary routes and these are systematically plowed after the 'priority' routes are
completed.
When can I expect my sidewalk to be cleared?
Sidewalks are cleared after snow accumulates in excess of five centimetres (two
inches). Sidewalk clearing is generally completed within 24 - 48 hours after the end of
the storm; however, when we have a heavy snowfall, or successive winter events back-
to-back, it will take longer to clear all sidewalks. Sidewalks are cleared to a snow
packed condition, as the snow equipment does not allow for clearing down to bare
pavement.
I've shovelled my driveway, and a day or two later the plow truck has filled it back
in - why?
In a major snowstorm the trucks do not initially perform a full road width plowing. This is
the most efficient and effective way to get the municipality moving. Crews return a day
or two later to perform "clean-up operations". This completely opens the street for
maximum efficiency, moves remaining snow onto boulevards, clears catch basins for
potential water runoff, allows on street parking, and creates storage space for the next
storm.
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Is salt dangerous to the environment?
Environment Canada does not ban the use of road salt as it is not harmful to humans
but has declared it as CEPA* Toxic (i.e., toxic to the environment). Road authorities
take action by improving their own management of road salt by metering salt distribution
and pre-wetting to reduce the environmental effects.
We report our salt usage on an annual basis and continually review our winter control
operations and evaluate new technologies and processes, to reduce the amount of road
salt required in managing snow and ice. Annual usage of road salt varies year to year
depending on the weather conditions encountered throughout the winter maintenance
season.
*Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
I live on a corner lot. Why do I end up with an excessive amount of snow at the
bottom of my driveway?
Residents living on corner lots or the first on the right of an intersection usually get more
snow deposited in their driveways. When the snowplow turns right it sweeps a much
larger area of the road than when it is traveling in a straight line, as well, the snow also
does not discharge from the plow truck. Turning right effectively makes the plow push
most of the snow ahead instead of moving it from the centre of the road to the side. The
first property and driveway encountered after the plow straightens out usually gets more
snow than others in the immediate area. We appreciate that this can be frustrating and
we appreciate your cooperation.
I live on a court. When will the pile of snow in the centre of the court be removed?
The snow piles in the centre of courts are removed by front-end loaders. This will be
done when staff and equipment resources permit after the snow removal as part of the
"clean-up operations".
Why doesn't the plow do a better job clearing the centre of a cul-de-sac?
It is very difficult for our larger plow units to maneuver in the centre of a cul-de-sac to
clear all the snow. We will use smaller plows or front-end loaders, depending on
availability, if a significant amount of snow accumulates.
What if a municipal plow damages my...
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Sod: damage is the result of two factors: The plow operator may have difficulty
finding the sidewalk or the edge of the road under a blanket of snow, or if the
ground is not frozen. Once a path is cleared, subsequent trips by the sidewalk
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plow are made easier. If the sod was damaged during the first pass of the
season then the damage may not be discovered until the snow melts. The cost to
repair sod damage is relatively minor because we have found that homeowners
will repair the damage in front of their property before the municipality crews
arrive. This is a tremendous help because municipal staff typically don't repair
sod damage until the winter season is typically over.
To report sod damage for repair in the spring please contact the municipality at
519-666-0190 or [email protected].
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Driveway or Curbs: The municipality owns the boulevard area and will use
asphalt to repair any damage caused by municipal plows. The municipality will
not restore driveway boulevards that are damaged during winter control
operations, finished with interlocking brick, patterned concrete or concrete/wood
curbs.
To report damage to driveway or curbs, please contact the municipality at 519-
666-0190 or [email protected]. An inspection, assessment and
recommendation will be made by the road supervisor.
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Mailbox: The municipality will repair or replace a damaged or destroyed mailbox
if the damage is deemed to result from a direct hit by plow equipment. Mailboxes
damaged by snow load off the plow equipment will not be eligible for repair or
replacement by the municipality. The responsibility for maintaining mailboxes lies
with the owner of the mailbox. Mailbox owners are required to repair their own
mailboxes that have been damaged by snow impact. Please re-attach the
mailbox securely to prevent this from happening again.
To report a damaged mailbox, please contact the municipality at 519-666-0190
or [email protected]. An inspection, assessment and
recommendation will be made by the road supervisor.
Mailboxes replaced by the municipality will be a basic mailbox, not necessarily
the same as the original mailbox. Damaged posts will be replaced by temporary
posts with permanent repairs undertaken in the spring once the frost is out of the
ground.
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Sprinklers: Sprinklers located within the municipal boulevard and Right of Way
that are damaged as a result of plowing activities are the responsibility of the
respective property owner for any repairs that maybe required.
In the event sprinklers are damaged that are located on private property please
contact the municipality at 519-666-0190 or [email protected] for
a review by municipal staff and to schedule repairs (if required).
Municipality of Middlesex Centre
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Why was my street missed?
Severe weather conditions, mandatory working regulations, too many vehicles parked
on the street, and other factors may delay our ability to clear all municipal roads and
sidewalks of snow and ice. Even when all of our equipment is at work, heavy or drifting
snow may re-cover streets and sidewalks before repeat clearing is possible. We ask
that you give us time to manage large snow events.
New Subdivisions
Some newly built roads in un-assumed subdivisions may not receive winter control
services by the municipality. These un-assumed roads and sidewalks are the
responsibility of the developer/builder to maintain. The municipality offers winter
maintenance activities to developers/builders for a set fee, however they are not
required to use the municipal service.
Who is responsible for clearing snow around Canada Post Community
Mailboxes?
Canada Post is responsible for clearing the snow and ice around the community
mailboxes. Contact Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177 for more information.
What are my responsibilities?
Property owners are responsible for clearing snow and ice from their walkways,
driveways, ramps, loading docks, parking areas, as well as outdoor stairs and landings
in accordance with the Property Standards By-law and the Right Of Way By-law.
Family members, visitors and other service personnel will thank you for providing a safe
path to your door.
Municipality of Middlesex Centre
Public Works and Engineering
Tel: 519-666-0190 or 1-800-220-8968
Email: [email protected]