How Edmonton plans to deal with snow and ice this winter

The City of Edmonton said it's been listening to residents when it comes to snow and ice removal and announced a number of changes on Thursday to improve its program.

Parks and Road Services (PRS) said a $4.7 million boost in funding is going to help clear roads faster, and new approaches to snow management will help eliminate windrow and drainage issues that drew complaints from residents last year.

"We've listened and adjusted," said Craig McKeown, PRS branch manager. "We've heard loud and clear from Edmontonians what their expectations are, and what we intend to deliver on is a strong snow and ice control program."

"You'll see more crews out on the road, you'll see more equipment and you'll see priority roads and active pathways cleared faster."

One of the major changes this year will be in residential areas, which won't be bladed down to bare pavement. Instead, McKeown said snowpack will be leveled and maintained at five centimetres which will prevent large windrows, rutting and water drainage issues.

"There's tradeoffs and pros and cons to each approach," he said. "(Last year) we bladed to bare pavement, and we heard it loud and clear from Edmontonians that those trade offs were not ideal."

Stacked windrows are blocking some catch basins in Edmonton creating some icy water pools (CTV News Edmonton/Dave Mitchell).

PARKING BANS

Valerie Dacyk, PRS general supervisor, said the city will continue with two phases of parking bans and residents can expect more enforcement this year through ticketing and towing.

The current bylaw ticket is $100, but city council will be discussing an amendment to the bylaw that would see the fine increase the fine up to $250.

To help residents navigate bans, the city has launched a new parking ban notification tool.

Residents can register on the City of Edmonton website for email or text alerts that notify them 24 hours before a parking ban is to take effect in their neighborhood and again after clearing is done.

"We really hope that there is a strong uptake," McKeown said. "When vehicles are off the road, crews can clear through roads much quicker and more efficient.

"This is really just another tool to emphasize that this is a shared responsibility."

Anyone previously registered for PRS parking ban notifications will have to create a new account to continue receiving alerts.

WHAT ELSE IS CHANGING?

The $4.7 million boost was given in July and will cover this winter season. Last year, Edmonton had enough drivers to deploy about two thirds of the city's plows. McKeown said the extra funds have already been used to hire and train more staff, which will maximize the equipment on the roads come winter.

Other additions this year include three more supplier filled sandboxes available to the public for free and additional snow collections planned in school zones.

"We live in a winter city, so we know that winter road maintenance and summer road maintenance is a hot topic for Edmontonians," McKeown said. "We intend to increase that trust and confidence by delivering on a strong snow and ice control program this winter."

Dacyk said last year's freezing rain presented additional problems for snow and ice removal crews, but more staff and equipment will make PRS more adaptable.

"Snow and ice control is always a dynamic endeavor. We will do our best to be flexible within whatever mother nature throws at us this year," Dacyk said. "We're hoping that with the extra resources we'll be able to get out there faster, which is the primary method of controlling freezing rain."

FUNDING

The $57 million snow and ice budget has not been permanently increased in the last decade, and despite the additional funds, McKeown said crews are still not close to being able to hit clearing goals of 36 hours for arterial roads and 48 hours for collector roads.

Mackeown said PRS has submitted a service package to city council outlining options at different price points to work towards those targets, and the snow and ice budget is expected to be a major discussion when city council considers the overall city budget in November.

However, at least one city councillor says he wants to hold off on making any big commitments until after the new plan goes into action.

"What I would like to see is the increase that we've put in for the remainder of this year essentially be maintained," Coun. Tim Cartmell said. "Any sort of curve up beyond that, I'd want to reserve judgment to see what we got done this year."

"I'd like to see what we can do with a few dollars before we get into lots of dollars."

Cartmell said the additional funding put this year's budget at the equivalent of around $65 million, but the PRS said closer to $90 million would be needed for "the Cadillac service." Neither number, he added, is the right one for the job though.

"I think we're going to see that this year is going to better than last year, but I'm not sure we're all the way to good yet," Cartmell said. "I think the appetite is going to be for more spending, for more service, for better service, but not necessarily an increased appetite to support that."

"We have to find someplace in between." 

Visit the City of Edmonton website for more information on snow and ice clearing, parking bans, or to register in the Name a Plow contest.

With files by CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson