City News Release: City of Toronto gears up for winter

The first signs of snow have been spotted in Ward 39 in the past week, and the City of Toronto is ready to keep its streets clean. Find out more about what the City is doing to brave this winter below:

News Release
November 17, 2011

City of Toronto gears up for winter

Winter is on the way, and the City of Toronto's fleet of snow plows, salt trucks and sidewalk plows are ready to tackle the winter season.

Winter is also "high season" for watermain breaks. Cold weather with rapid swings between periods of thaw and freezing put aging pipes under stress. Crews are ready to respond to minor and severe breaks 24/7.

Winter is coming and we're ready to roll," said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East), Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. "We are confident that our 600 snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows and 200 salt trucks will keep the roads and sidewalks clear and safe again this year.

Our first priority is to keep the main roads clear for emergency and TTC vehicles," added Councillor Minnan-Wong. "After that is taken care of, then we can move on to the local roads. Usually, those roads are completed between 14 and 16 hours after the storm ends."

As soon as the snow begins, Transportation Services sends out its salt trucks to the expressways and the main roads. After that, the salt trucks then move to the local roads. If the City receives five centimetres of snow, the plows are sent to the expressways and main roads and plowing will take place for the duration of the storm.

When the snow stops and if the snow accumulation reaches eight centimetres, plows will be sent to the local roads.

The City will clear snow from sidewalks on local roads where it is mechanically possible to do so after eight centimetres (five centimetres in January and February) of snow has fallen. In the central core of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow 12 hours after a storm has taken place. To learn more about sidewalk snow clearing in Toronto and to view a map of where the service takes place, click on
http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/snow/sidewalks.htm.

The City of Torontos levels of service for snow clearing meet those set by the Province of Ontario for municipalities and road authorities. These levels of service were adopted by Toronto City Council in 2009.

Residents who have questions about snow clearing efforts or watermain breaks in their area can call the City at 311. Additionally, anyone who spots a watermain break is encouraged to call 311.

Besides cold weather, there are numerous causes of watermain breaks and the City is taking steps to address the ongoing problem, currently spending $106 million annually to improve the watermain distribution system. Approximately 60 to 80 kilometres of watermain pipes are being replaced annually. In addition, three rehabilitation programs continue: cathodic protection of watermain pipes, cleaning and cement mortar lining and structural lining.

More information about watermain breaks can be viewed in a brief video at
http://www.toronto.ca/water/basement_flooding_video.htm. 

The public can help the Citys efforts in clearing snow by doing a few simple things such as not pushing snow back onto the road after clearing snow from their sidewalks and driveways, avoiding parking on city streets to help the ploughs do their work, and taking public transit whenever possible. The public is also reminded to clear snow from around hydrants after a snowfall.

In 2011/12, the City will again concentrate on an improved level of service for sidewalk snow clearing. That includes increasing service on main streets with high pedestrian volumes and frequent transit stops, streamlining the service so that it follows closely behind roadway plowing, and enhancing service to prevent ice build-up on sidewalks in prolonged cold periods.

Transportation Services continues to reduce salt use as part of its Salt Management Plan. The City of Toronto has improved its fleet of salt spreading trucks, provided better training for staff who operate salt trucks, as well as improving salt storage and handling techniques.

More information about the City of Torontos winter operations is available at http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/.