Winter storms are a reality for Torontonians. We know that winter storms will happen, snow banks will pile up, and we will have to adapt to the weather. Councillor McMahon is following up with Transportation Services to relay all of your snow complaints and comments to ensure that our snow clearing services are continually improved.

How snow clearing works

As soon as snowfall begins, Transportation Services sends out salt trucks to the expressways, major roads and roads with dangerous hills or curves first. This is done to ensure that emergency vehicles can travel safely across the city. After this, the trucks move onto local roads.

Plows are sent to expressways when snowfall reaches more than two centimetres. For heavier snowfall, plows will move onto main roads during the storm to alleviate unsafe driving conditions.

Plows will avoid blocking sidewalks, crosswalks or piling snow onto parked cars whenever possible. However, sometimes it physically has to occur due to narrow roads. The city will clear windrows (the piles of snow at the road side after a plough has passed) only where it is physically able to do so. In Ward 32, there are very few places where this can occur due to our narrow streets.

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