Parking ban on Regina snow routes to take effect early Thursday

The snowfall that started hitting Regina on Wednesday has prompted the city to put its snow routes into effect.

The declaration bans on-street parking along those routes for a 24-hour period. That ban will be in effect from 6 a.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.

“This parking ban allows crews to plow the roads from curb to curb, improving traffic flow along the busy roadways,” the city said in a media release. “As well, it will help ensure roads are passable for emergency response vehicles.”

The routes in question are marked by a blue sign with a white snowflake. Vehicles that are parked on snow routes during the parking ban will be ticketed.

The city says snow routes apply to 16 kilometres of roads in Regina.

Environment Canada says five to 10 centimetres of snow could fall on the Queen City over the next 24 hours.

According to the Highway Hotline, fog and swirling snow were creating visibility issues on some roads around the province, while others had slippery sections or were covered in slush.

Just after 4 p.m., the Hotline said travel wasn’t recommended on the Trans-Canada Highway between Mortlach and Chaplin because of icy sections, heavy snow, drifting snow and slush.

A special weather statement remained in effect for the southeastern corner of the province, which was expected to get a blast of winter thanks to a Colorado low. At the same time, areas of the southwest were under a freezing drizzle advisory.