The Village strives to maintain its streets and sidewalks in as safe as possible condition. The municipality’s main objective is to provide a cost-effective program of snow removal and ice control which allows for the safe and orderly movement of emergency equipment, vehicle traffic, and pedestrians within the municipal boundaries.
Service is available on a 24-hour coverage for sanding and snow removal on arterial and residential routes during the snow season (mid-October to mid-March). Each storm brings its own challenges, and not all residents can be satisfied as quickly as we would like. So please take extra care and time to arrive at your destination.
We remind all residents that when clearing snow, it is unlawful to pile, throw or shovel snow onto the Village’s roads or right of ways. The right of ways may typically extend from two to three metres from the edge of blacktop and is essential for the storage of snow between snow events.
Winter Road Maintenance
Winter road maintenance is expensive, dangerous and time consuming. There are several ways that the public can help make the job more cost-effective and safer:
- Be thoughtful of snowplow operators and their difficult job. There are sometimes difficult travel times during the snow season.
- Snow contractors make every effort to minimize the amount of snow that gets plowed into driveways. However, it is almost inevitable that this will occur. Your driveway entrance may get covered. Clearing driveway openings is the responsibility of the property owner. Home and business owners are responsible for removal of berms across their driveways.
- Please be patient and wait until the plow operator has completed the work before you clear that area.
- Do not push snow onto the street. This may become an obstruction and could cause an accident. Shoveling, plowing or blowing snow back into the street when clearing a driveway is prohibited by the Town Ordinance and could be enforced with a fine. We ask that property owners pile snow from private driveways, parking lots and walkways on their own property.
- To minimize the amount of snow left in front of your driveway, clear an area to the left of the driveway entrance. When your street is plowed, snow from the plow can be unloaded in this area instead of your driveway.
- Be helpful and considerate of your neighbors.
- You may wish to clear your driveway several times during a storm or wait until the storm and plowing activities have ended.
Parked Vehicles
If there is a snowfall and you have a vehicle parked on the roadway, please remove it immediately. If it is not moved, the vehicle may be bermed in or subject to towing. It is the owner’s responsibility to shovel it out.
Removing Right of Way Obstructions
A public right of way may typically extend to 1 or 2 meters or farther from the edge of pavement. If in doubt, please observe the location of items such as power poles, streetlights, utility installations and fire hydrants.
Landscaping installed within the right of way is at the property owner’s risk. Any obstructions to the plow trucks placed on public right of ways such as rocks, fences or planters should be removed for the winter. These may be destroyed by snow removal operations and can do substantial damage to plow equipment. Owners of such obstructions may be at risk if plow equipment is unnecessarily damaged.
If not removed by the residents immediately, these obstructions will be removed by public works staff at a cost to the homeowner.
Clearing Snow From Strata Fire Hydrants
Residents and businesses are strongly encouraged to clear the snow away from fire hydrants near their property, a good deed that could help save a life.
During the winter months, hydrants can become buried under snow and ice, making them very difficult to find. It is time-consuming and dangerous when firefighting crews responding to a fire must locate the hydrant and dig away the snow, while the fire continues to burn.
Both residents and businesses should clear a path to the hydrant from the road, and within one meter around the hydrant. Snow piles should be removed so the hydrant is easily spotted from the road.
The following video, provided by the Grande Prairie Fire Department, demonstrates how keeping hydrants clear, may save a life: http://youtu.be/ylhYpAioO9Y.
