A look behind the system deciding when and where snowplows hit Toronto streets

Thestar.com
February 28, 2019
Pamela D’Sa

As another onslaught of snow hits Toronto, you might be looking out your window wondering -- where are the snow plows?

Though it might seem like your streets are never cleared, the city does have a system for when and where they decide to plow. Here’s a quick look at some of the factors involved:

When and where does the city decide to start plowing?

The city’s plowing schedule prioritizes busy travel routes, like expressways and streetcar routes, before moving to local streets. When the plowing starts also depends on how much snowfalls. Plowing first begins on the expressways, where the city waits for at least 2.5 centimetres of snow before they start clearing. After five cm of snow has fallen, they start clearing arterial roads and streetcar routes. Collector roads, bus routes and local streets with hills are plowed when levels reach between five and eight cm. Finally, local streets are cleaned up after eight cm of snow has fallen and stopped.

What about sidewalks?

The city waits for two cm of snow to fall before plowing and salting sidewalks “high pedestrian volume” sidewalks, which are the ones adjacent to main road, school zones, transit routes or near accessibility areas. Lower volume areas are done after eight cm of snowfall.

Bus stops and transit shelter are supposed to be plowed within 48 hours.

How long does it all take?

Expressways get done the fastest, with the roads cleared two to three hours after snowfall stops. Main roads and streetcar routes are supposed to take between six to eight hours while collector roads, bus routes and local streets taken between 14 to 16 hours.

Sidewalks take between six and seven hours, but the city said multiple rounds of clearing need to be done.

Why don’t all sidewalks get cleared?

Sometimes it’s as simple as the plow not being able to fit on a sidewalk. Some sidewalks are not cleared if they’re not immediately adjacent to the street.

Other reasons for sidewalks not being cleared are if the sidewalk has anything that could obstruct the plow, including utility poles, planters and retaining walls. The area might also be avoided if plowing there could be a safety concern for the plow operator or the public.

In these cases, it’s the responsibility of business and property owners to clear their own sidewalks. The city mandates that it’s done within 12 hours of snowfall, or you could be fined.

What about bike lanes?

With bike lanes, the city waits for five cm of snow before plowing. The lanes are usually plowed depending on what road they are adjacent to. The Martin Goodman Trail, which runs along the city’s waterfront for 22 kilometres, is the first priority along with cycle tracks on Sherbourne St. and Roncesvalles Ave., priority bike lanes and cyclist lanes that run along arterial roads.

Lanes alongside collector lanes are plowed when snowfall is betweeen five and eight cm.

The plows have blocked my driveway!

Plows leave tiny walls of snow on the sides called windrows and they can be a major pain. But if the windrows end up affecting traffic, pedestrians and obstructing drivers’ sightlines, it’s the city’s responsibility to collect the excess snow and get rid of it. The city has designated snow storage and melting sites in the winter where workers bring the snow.

If the city leaves a windrow that blocks your driveway, the plows will usually clear open a three-metre wide exit for your car within two hours of the road being plowed.

But Toronto doesn’t provide this service in the central core of the city because of the narrow roads, which don’t accommodate bulky plows, so you might be stuck shovelling your way out.

How do I know which areas have already been plowed?

You can follow the city’s plows in real time over here.