All available snow and ice control crews and equipment have been deployed this morning, following the overnight snow event, which saw about 12cm of snow fall in some areas of Prince George. According to Council’s Snow and Ice Control Policy, if at least 12cm of snow falls in 24 hours, the City aims to clear Priority Three routes within 72 hours after Priority One and Priority Two have been completed.
Earlier this morning, crews began clearing Priority One and Priority Two routes throughout the city. These operations will continue during both day and night-time shifts through the weekend. Priority Three (including residential) routes will be cleared following the completion of Priority One and Priority Two routes, per the Policy.
Multiple factors, including temperatures, accompanying weather systems, and total snow accumulation affect operations, timelines, and decisions about equipment deployment. Environment Canada forecasts some continued light snowfall through the day, which could turn into rain if temperatures continue to rise as forecast.
The City of Prince George’s snow-clearing operations maintain roads and sidewalks in reasonable conditions throughout winter. During a snow event, City roads are categorized into three snow-clearing priorities, indicated by three colours on the City’s snow clearing map. Council’s Snow and Ice Control Bylaw categorizes the City’s 735km of roads and 189km of sidewalks into three snow-clearing priority routes:
Priority One (red) roads include main arterial roads, downtown roads, priority hills, the hospital area, Civic facility entrances, and priority parking lots and pathways. These routes are often cleared during the nightshift in order to reduce the interference with higher daytime traffic volumes.
Priority Two (green) roads include bus routes that are not main arterial roads, and commercial and industrial roads.
Priority Three (grey) roads include residential roads and lanes, and all remaining civic facility parking lots and pathways. Residential route clearing also takes garbage collection days into consideration.
Parking Restrictions
- Motorists are also reminded that parking restrictions are in effect from October 15 to April 15 each year to help with snow operations:
- On-street parking is prohibited from midnight to 7:00am downtown.
- On-street parking is prohibited from 10:00pm to 7:00am on Priority One roads and hills, the Hospital District, and a number of other designated roads.
- On-street parking is prohibited from 8:00am to 6:00pm in residential areas. Parking on the side of the street with odd house numbers is permitted from 6:00pm to 8:00am unless otherwise posted.
- Illegally parked vehicles are subject to a $50 ticket per offence and/or may be towed.
Note: plowing around parked vehicles can slow down operations and create hazards for other vehicles by creating windrows in the street.
Further information about City snow and ice control operations can be found on the City website at www.princegeorge.ca/snow. Residents can also view an online video for an overview of these operations.
Citizens can keep current on information about snow clearing and other road operations by subscribing to the City’s News and Events service (select the “Roads” category).