Edmonton begins Snow and Ice Control program

Winter is coming, and while it might not be as bad as in Game of Thrones, even though it might feel like it, the City of Edmonton is beginning to roll out its Snow and Ice Control program.

The City says that for this winter season, they will be adding additional focus to ensuring residents have important information about the Snow and Ice Control program.

This will include updated snow-clearing maps and a push to get Edmontonians to use the service notifications tool.

“Edmontonians deserve safe, predictable and accessible winter infrastructure,” said Caitlin Zerebeski, Branch Manager, Parks and Roads Services. “We continue to take steps to inform residents and help them understand what to expect as they prepare for winter.” 

The City notes that the service levels will remain consistent with what has previously been seen, which includes priorities when it comes to road cleaning. Those road priorities are as follows:

• Priority for roads:
  • Priority 1: main freeways, downtown business districts and hills – aiming for bare pavement within one day after a snow event ends.
  • Priority 2: remaining freeways, arterial roadways, business districts, collector roadways, and Transit Park and Ride access roads to be completed within five days.
  • Priority 3: industrial and rural roads are addressed within six days.
  • Priority 4 (only completed as part of a Phase 2 parking ban): residential roads and alleys to be completed within 14 days.
• Priorities for active pathways:
  • Priority 1: City facilities and Winter Priority Loop (a network of pathways connecting downtown, Old Strathcona and the University of Alberta) to be completed within one day.
  • Priority 2: City sidewalks, staircases, ramps, shared paths, pedestrian bridges, bus stop access, and bike lanes to be completed within three days.
  • Priority 3: manually cleared areas, bus stop benches and pads to be completed within 14 days.
  • Priority 4: community sandboxes and safe mobility devices to be completed when resources allow.

The City says there are over 12,000 km of roadways in Edmonton, and their Roadways Snow Clearing Map displays the status and service level for those roads, and the location of Edmonton’s plows.

Additionally, during times of heavy snowfall, they will declare parking bans, which allows crews the ability to efficiently and effectively clear roads.

There are two phases of parking bans, which are as follows:

• Parking Ban Phase 1
  • Phase 1 applies to major roads and bus routes. This includes arterial roadways, collector roadways, business improvement areas and bus routes. These roadways are indicated with white “Seasonal No Parking” signage. A Phase 1 parking ban may last four to five days, with crews active at all hours.
• Parking Ban Phase 2
  • Phase 2 applies to residential and industrial roads and, if activated, would occur after a Phase 1 parking ban. While a Phase 2 parking ban can last up to 14 days, the ban only affects individual neighborhoods for approximately 72 hours.

Edmontonians are recommended to subscribe to the free Service Notifications service in order to receive communications on all parking bans specific to their location.

“This winter, our goal is to deliver clear expectations and consistency for residents whether they are walking, biking, driving or taking transit,” said Valerie Dacyk, General Supervisor, Infrastructure Field Operations. “When residents give our crews space to work and obey parking bans, we can make sure every lane, path and stop is cleared quickly and effectively, allowing the whole city to move better.”

Lastly, Edmontonians are reminded that they are responsible for sidewalk cleaning for any sidewalk adjacent to their land.

If one fails to clear the sidewalks, it could result in a fine of $100 plus any remedial clean-up costs the City may incur as outlined in the bylaw.

The City says in 2024, they issued 1,431 tickets for snow or ice on sidewalks.

“We encourage everyone to clear their sidewalks as soon as possible after a snowfall ends. If property owners fail to do so, they may receive a fine and city crews may step in to complete the task at the owner’s expense,” said Carrie Holstead, Superintendent, General Bylaw Enforcement.