REGINA - The City of Regina wasn’t spared from a dumping of snow this past weekend, and more is on the way.
At a news conference Monday at City Hall, Regina has declared snow routes in effect, starting on Tuesday morning.
According to a city news release, what this means is there is no on-street parking along the identified routes for a 24-hour period, and allow crews to plow the roads from curb to curb.
Effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, there is no parking along the snow route until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. The streets are identified with blue signs featuring a white snowflake. Vehicles parked on the snow route during the temporary parking ban will be ticketed.
The ban will allow crews to plow the roads from curb to curb, improving traffic flow along the busy roadways; it will help ensure roads are passable for emergency response vehicles.
The snow routes have been declared in anticipation of at least five centimetres of snow falling on Monday in Regina, on top of the snow that already covers the city.
Tyler Bien, Manager of Roadways Seasonal Operations for the City of Regina, reported the storm that hit Regina on Saturday evening brought freezing rain, dropping temperatures and three to five centimetres of snow. It also brought winds of 85 km per hour.
Bien reported that city crews responded in storm mode to keep major roads driveable, by plowing snow and by applying ice control on their high speed roads, high risk intersections, emergency routes, as well as monitoring and clearing any sections of road that may have had snow blown in.
Regina crews were currently plowing Category One roads as of Monday, to be followed by the Cat. Two streets. The plan is to address any drifting snow on those streets and any perimeter roads and problem areas.
“The winter maintenance team is currently in 24 hour a day, seven day a week shift during storm and systematic mode to take care of all the winter road maintenance needs,” said Bein. The city was also preparing for the next road of snow with five to ten centimeters expected Monday and overnight, coupled with 60 km/h wind gusts.
“So we will remain in storm mode until the completion of that snowfall.”
People are urged to get updates by downloading the city’s new "Sweep&Plow" app or to sign up for custom notifications by email or phone, on the City’s website at Regina.ca/snowroutes. Residents can also find out about snow routes by following the City’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
