Winter Maintenance
Winter Maintenance
The City of Thorold provides winter maintenance services to help residents navigate their driving routes with ease. Our Public Works staff maintains approximately 360 lane kilometres of roads and 124 kilometres of sidewalks throughout the City of Thorold with a fleet of dump trucks, loaders, and backhoes.
Snow plow routes
The City addresses priority routes first, followed by secondary routes.
| Priority routes |
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Priority routes in the city include main roads (primary and collectors). |
| Secondary routes |
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Secondary routes in the city include all other roads, such as side streets and cul-de-sacs. |
Sidewalk routes
The City maintains all curb-facing sidewalks, meaning the sidewalks that are directly beside the road (ie. no boulevard). Home owners and business owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks where a boulevard exists.
| Sidewalk routes |
| View the City's sidewalk plow routes here. |
Other routes
Learn more about snow clearing measures on other routes throughout the city, such as highways and regional roads.
| Highway roads |
| The Ministry of Transportation is responsible for snow removal on all 400 series highways and the QEW, including on and off ramps. Contact them at 1-800-268-4686 for highway winter road conditions or to report dangerous conditions. |
| Regional roads |
| Niagara Region maintains all regional roads in the region. Learn more on their website: https://www.niagararegion.ca/government/works/operations.aspx |
| Canada Post mailboxes |
| Canada Post maintains the surrounding area around Super Mailboxes. If your mailbox is blocked by snow, please contact Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177 |
Snow Clearing Event
During a snow-clearing event, vehicles parked on the roadway prevent winter maintenance crews from clearing the roadway of snow in a timely and efficient manner. When a snow plow is forced to go around a parked vehicle it leaves an embankment of snow which creates difficulty for other drivers and allows for a build up of snow to occur on the roadway.
Vehicles must be kept off the road until the snow plows have completed your street. Parking on the roadway during snow removal is a violation of the City of Thorold's Parking and Traffic By-law 150-2012 (Sec 3.9.1 (10)) and may result in receiving a fine.
As a reminder to residents, this will be communicated on the City's website and social media channels ahead of time to give residents a chance to move their vehicles. To stay updated on when the snow-clearing event is in effect, follow our social media, or subscribe to our website’s emergency alert banner to receive notifications directly to your phone at the button below.
During the snow-clearing event, we offer alternative parking solutions:
- Park in your apron without blocking the sidewalk
- Ask your neighbour to park in their driveway
Once your roadway has been cleared, you may move your vehicle back onto the cleared section of the roadway.
Winter Parking Ban
When weather forecast and/or actual weather conditions meet hazardous conditions such as 20 to 25 cm of snow within 24 hours and ice accumulation of 20 mm, the City may declare an on-street parking ban to allow for safe and efficient snow removal throughout the City. This will be communicated on the City's website and social media channels.
When an on-street parking ban is declared, vehicles must be removed from all streets immediately. Vehicles must be kept off the road until the ban is lifted. Parking on the roadway during an on-street parking ban is a violation of the City of Thorold's Parking and Traffic By-law 150-2012 (Sec 3.9.1 (10) and will result in receiving a penalty.
Learn more about what happens when a winter parking ban is in effect.
FAQs
| What is the difference between a Snow Event and a Parking Ban? |
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Snow clearing events are not the same as a winter parking ban. A winter parking ban prohibits all vehicles from parking on the streets for 24 hours per day until the ban is lifted, and a snow clearing event prohibits vehicles from parking on the street while the plow is snow clearing your neighbourhood with the plow blade down. Once the plow has cleared your street, you may move your vehicle back into the cleared portion. When the snow clearing event alerts are up, it is an indication that the public works crews will be out clearing the streets. Making arrangements to remove your vehicle(s) from the roadway should be considered in order to avoid a $100 penalty when the snow plows arrive. |
| Does applying sand or salt count as snow clearing? |
| Depending on the weather conditions, sometimes the public works crew will apply sand or salt instead of clearing snow with the blade down. This does not count as snow clearing and you may stay parked on the street. |
| Why does the snow plow push snow onto the end of my driveway? |
| The primary objective of the City's winter maintenance crews is to maximize the quality of snow clearing on the travelled portion of the roadway. Snow plows do not have any other place to push the snow except to the curb or to the shoulder of the road. Sometimes this can happen shortly after you have finished shoveling your own property. It is understood that this can be frustrating; however, your cooperation is greatly appreciated in clearing this snow without placing it back on the roadway. The City does not provide services to remove the snow from the bottom driveways. |
| Where should I shovel my snow? |
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Please shovel snow from your driveway and sidewalks onto your property. Placing snow on the roadways or public sidewalks is a violation of the Highway Traffic Act. |
| What should I do if my street has not been cleared yet? |
| The first priority of the City's winter maintenance crews is to keep the main (primary) roadways clear. Roadways are cleared in a priority sequence, beginning with priority routes (primary and collectors), followed by secondary routes (side streets and cul-de-sacs). The City thanks residents for their patience. Crews will get to all secondary routes once priority routes are cleared. |
| Does the City maintain sidewalks? |
| The City maintains all curb-facing sidewalks, meaning the sidewalks that are directly beside the road (ie. no boulevard). Home owners and business owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks where a boulevard exists. |
| How can I help with winter maintenance? |
You can help by doing a few simple things to make the area around your property safer.
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| Who is responsible for clearing snow around Canada Post Super Mailboxes? |
| Canada Post maintains the surrounding area around Super Mailboxes. Contact Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177 for more information. |
| What happens if boulevards or roadways are damaged? |
| The City of Thorold is not responsible for any damage to plants, driveway curbs or other items that have been placed on or in the boulevards. Any damages to City-owned trees, sod and pavement will be repaired in the spring. |
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