With the current prolonged snow event, City plows are expected to be kept busy clearing the City’s top priority roads. Residents are asked to help, not hinder, snow clearing efforts and those living on Priority 3 roads can expect delayed response when the snow flies.
Motorists are asked to avoid travel at this time or use extreme caution on roadways.
Residents of West Kelowna can help snow removal efforts by ensuring no vehicles are parked on the street when it is snowing and during clean up efforts. Parked cars mean plows must work around these vehicles and are unable to clear the road surface to a safe width, narrowing our roadways needlessly. There is also additional time spent to maneuver around these vehicles rather than conducting one steady pass with the plow. Cul-de-sacs can become particularly challenging for plows when obstructions are encountered.
Residents are also reminded not to deposit snow on roadways when clearing their driveways or sidewalks in front of their homes. This deposited snow may not be cleared by plows if the area has already been visited and can cause hazards for motorists.
Snow removal in West Kelowna is conducted on a priority basis. The top priority is clearing arterial and collector roads, transit routes and roads with steep grades. The second priority is school zones, school bus routes, town centres and population centres and the final priority is all other local roads. During times of heavy and persistent snowfalls, road crews must continue to focus on higher priority roads in the municipality, which can lead to a delay in snow removal on local roads. Residents on priority 3 roads are asked to be patient, these roads will be visited by the plow once all other roadways have been cleared.
The plow’s job is to keep the road clear and, without significant disruption in service, it is unable to avoid depositing snow in front of driveways or on sidewalks. To minimize the amount of snow left in front of driveways, please shovel snow to the left side (when facing the property).