Winter Maintenance
Winter Maintenance
The City of Thorold provides winter maintenance services to help residents and travelers 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 |
Parking
During a winter 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.
Winter event parking ban
The City may issue an on-street parking ban when a weather event is in effect 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 a no parking ban is declared, vehicles must be removed from the street 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) and may result in receiving a fine.
Learn more about what happens when an on-street parking ban is in effect.
FAQs
| 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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