Snow covers Edmonton, Phase 1 parking ban taking effect Thursday

It was all hands on deck Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to start clearing roads as snow descended on the Edmonton area.

The city of Edmonton had about 90 snow plows out clearing the streets around 1 p.m.

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Sand is also being laid down to help with traction.

According to CTV News Edmonton meteorologist Josh Classen, the Edmonton area received about seven to 12 cm of snow through the day Wednesday.

With the steady snowfall ending, the city issued a Phase 1 parking ban to take effect on Thursday at 7 a.m.

This will affect:

• arterial (major) roads;
• collector roads;
• bus routes;
• roads marked with seasonal no parking signage; and
• roads within business improvement areas.

Vehicles will need to be moved from these roads, drivers who don't may be ticketed. The city expects the ban to last for three to five days.

Residential streets without bus routes are fair game for parking during this ban.

"We just ask everybody to give our crews space to work, abide by the parking bans to help us get in and out of your areas as quick as possible, to make the roadways clear for everyone's use," said Valerie Dacyk, the general supervisor of infrastructure field operations with the city.

Once the snow clearing is complete on a road, residents can park there again. The city website has a map to show the current status of roadways.

The map also shows where plows currently are, like Connor McBlade-It and Buzz Iceclear.

Once the Phase 1 routes are clear, the city will decide if a Phase 2 parking ban for residential and industrial roads is necessary.

The weather, as usual, resulted in an increase in the number of people in need of assistance, according to the Alberta Motor Association (AMA).

"It's sitting at about 19 hours for a tow, but if you're in an emergency situation, we're getting to you within that 60 to 90 minutes," said Brandon Klassen, an operations manager with AMA.

"Then for light service, so boosting and tire changing, we're sitting at about two and a half hours (wait).

He reminds drivers to adjust their driving habits to fit the road conditions.

"Especially on the rural highways. The speed limit says 100 km/h, doesn't mean you have to go 100 km/h, and plan for the journey that you're traveling, not just the destination," Dacyk said.

"Like packing an emergency roadside kit in your car in case something were to happen, and in that roadside kit, you're going to want blankets, warm clothes, some extra food, just in case you get stranded somewhere for an hour or two."

As of 12:40 p.m., the Edmonton collision reporting centres received collision reports from 71 people on Wednesday.

"If you don't have those winter tires on, call your local mechanic and get those winter tires on now," Dacyk added.

Temperatures are expected to dip to around -20 C overnight and into the morning, so Dacyk also advises plugging in vehicles parked outside.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti