THUNDER BAY – City of Thunder Bay crews are hard at work cleaning up after the snowfall the City experienced on Dec. 5.
“At 2 a.m. we had our crews out plowing arterial collector roadways. At 3 a.m. we had our sidewalk plows out doing the arterial collector sidewalks. Hopefully we’ll have those done early this morning and then we’ll move into local street plowing sidewalks and roadways.” said Brad Adams, City of Thunder Bay Roads Section manager.
According to Adams, it will take roughly 72 hours for City crews to finish plowing. But, it may take up until Friday for all of the City’s sidewalks to be cleared due to the volume of snow dumped on Thunder Bay.
City residents are asked to help crews work efficiently by:
- Staying back when following a plow or sander. Give these large pieces of equipment extra room to maneuver. Do not pass. Turning a plow in an intersection often means the driver must back up while making the turn.
- Being patient. Be assured that crews are working hard to keep roads open and safe.
- Taking your time when travelling to your destination. Winter weather can present some challenging driving conditions – slow down and remember to drive to road conditions.
- Remember that calendar parking restrictions are enforced regardless of weather conditions. Be aware and follow the parking regulations for your street.
Calendar parking restrictions for residential streets and priority route restrictions will take effect Tuesday, Dec. 7.
“Basically, calendar parking assists us in having one side of the road clear for us to get down. If we have vehicles parked on both sides, sometimes we can’t get our equipment down the road so the road doesn’t get plowed at all,” said Adams.
“So by having people following those parking restrictions, at least one side of their residential road will get plowed.”
Some streets may have additional restrictions posted. Please follow the postings and signage for your area.
During times that snow plows are on the roadways, motorists are asked to drive with caution. Please stay at least 20 metres back and allow the plows room to manoeuvre. ,
Residents are reminded to keep fire hydrants clear and accessible. City Crews are working hard to remove snow from around fire hydrants. Residents can assist by not blocking access or piling snow on top of a hydrant, as they need to be visible and accessible to emergency responders.
