Unobstructed roadways are critical to maintaining access for emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, and to reducing hazards, especially on steeper sections of the road.
Additionally, we request that all vehicles be parked at least 6 feet from the road edge to allow proper snow clearing. Please ensure that snow is not pushed into the roadway or across the street. Snow must be stored on your property to avoid obstructing the road. Please also keep any snow removed from your drive or pathways on your own property, as chunks of snow pushed off properties and onto the road are a safety hazard.
We appreciate that the road plowing can cause a berm (windrow) at the entrance to driveways, and this is part of the reason we try to have our road plowing contractors out early so that the berms created are not excessive and do not create too much extra work for property owners. However, windrows are inevitable after a snowfall. With the number of driveways within the Municipality and limited resources, it would be very costly to add additional people and equipment to either clear windrows, or not leave them in the first place. It is the responsibility of homeowners to clear the windrow at the end of their driveway.
Our snow removal is performed by a contractor with their own equipment. We have limited available contractors who have limited/do-not-have equipment to minimize windrows. During snowfall, our Public Works crews are out clearing certain smaller areas that the snow removal contractor does not. This is done specifically because it is cheaper to utilize Municipal crews rather than contractors. This means that there is very limited availability of Public Works crews to perform windrow maintenance/clearing along the roads. You can reduce your windrow size and help out our snow plow operators with the following tips:
- Pile snow on the right side of your driveway (facing the road) when shoveling. This allows you to see any oncoming traffic as you back out and, when our plows go by, they won't drag your shoveled piles of snow back into your driveway.
- Residents should also remove obstructions from the road that inhibit the plows from being able to do their job such as parked cars, hockey nets and basketball hoops.
- Shovel snow onto your property, as opposed to curbside or the roadway. If there is less snow piled on the road or curbside, there will be less snow pushed into a windrow.
Note that the road right-of-way extends 10 meters from (perpendicular to) the centerline of the road. This right-of-way allows the Municipality to push/store snow here. Your property line may start further back from the road than you think it does.
Questions or complaints about the roads within the Municipality?
Please email: pworks@sunpeaksmunicipality.ca
For current road information please contact DriveBC.