City to plow some residential streets dealing with large amounts of snow

Some residential streets in Regina will be plowed in the coming days after all.

One day after the City of Regina explained there wasn’t enough snow to trigger a residential plow, the city said Friday that crews would start working in perimeter areas “including some residential streets adjacent to open areas, due to the large snow accumulations.”

On Thursday, the city said around 10 centimetres of snow had fallen during the storm Tuesday and Wednesday, five centimetres short of the amount required to start a residential plow.

Over the weekend, crews also will take off snow ridges from school loading zones to help make dropoffs and pickups safer.

In a media release Friday, the city said its storm response earlier this week followed the new winter maintenance policy.

“The new policy means more streets are plowed more quickly, making it easier to commute,” the release said. “Five hundred seventy three kilometres of roads are to be plowed within 60 hours from the end of a snow event.

“As of (Friday), we have completed all Category 1 roads. Eighty per cent of Category 2 and 3 roads are plowed and expected to be complete by the end of the day.”

The city added all bus routes have been plowed, while 160 kilometres of sidewalks at and near transit stops, and 127 km of sidewalks around city facilities and near parks are being cleared.

Property owners are reminded to keep their sidewalks clear of snow and ice, even though Regina’s new sidewalk snow clearing bylaw doesn’t come into effect until Jan. 1.