Saskatoon crews move to residential snow clearing

It appears Saskatoon has moved past the worst effects of the recent snowstorm.

Now that city crews have finished priority roadways, they’re moving on to residential clearing starting Wednesday night and into Thursday. 

Signs won’t be posted on neighborhood streets, as is the case with usual residential snow removal.

Residents are encouraged to remove all vehicles from roadways and let neighbours know if vehicles are left in the path of crews.

With so much snow to clear, what can residents expect when it comes to the aftermath of residential clearing?

The city website gives some indication.

“Snow piles in parking lanes, boulevards, and medians. Driveways will have a minimum of one car width break in the snow piles and max 30 cm ridge at the end of each driveway.”

A rough list of residential streets the city is currently grading is available online.

As for residents of rental properties, the Landlords Association of Saskatchewan says it’s important to check your tenant agreement for details on who is responsible to clear the snow if you live in a house.

The CEO tells CTV News that apartment residents should be patient with snow removal given the magnitude of this snow fall.

“I always suggest contacting the landlord, the property manager and be patient. We had close to 40 cm of snow in the city. It’s not a skiff and it takes several more hours to push and haul that snow away,” Cameron Choquette said.

With resources stretched thin, Choquette admits snow removal from parking lots may take longer than usual.

“The delays we’re seeing with parking lot clearing are largely being attributed to the significant amount of snow. The fact that there are only so many contractors that have to get to so many properties that have to get across the city,” he said.

For anyone needing to access their back lane, it may be a challenge in some areas. As far as back alleys go, the city plan is to address those which are impassable by having them levelled and packed down after all city streets have been cleared.

With the reality that winter is still not over, city crews will also be removing large and obstructive piles of snow along priority streets, in business areas and in school zones in the weeks ahead for improved sightlines, wider driving lanes, parking and to make space for future snowfalls.