Crews continue to work at full force throughout repeated winter storms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022

Snow and ice control are continuing around the clock, on City of West Kelowna streets, as crews manage challenging conditions caused by recurring snowfall and arctic outflows that have persisted during the past two weeks. Please be respectful to crews and staff; the City appreciates your patience and understanding as roads, sidewalks and bus stops are being maintained in priority order.

Crews maintain Priority 1 and 2 roads first to ensure that they remain passable for emergency vehicles, essential operations and the flow of needed goods and services. Crews are hoping for a brief break in the weather midday Wednesday to try to catch up before the next storm moves in. However, with more than 20 centimetres of cumulated snowfall expected by Thursday morning, in addition to the significant amounts that have already fallen, it may be more than 48 hours before they can maintain some Priority 3 Roads.

View our roads priority map at westkelownacity.ca/snowdays for more details. Our crews are:

• Focusing first on arterial roads, such as Boucherie, Glenrosa, Shannon Lake and Westlake to ensure that the most traveled roads are passable for emergency crews and priority services, delivery of essential goods and mass transit.

• Focusing secondly on collector roads, school bus and other transit routes and steep neighbourhood accesses such as Auburn, Elliott, Gellatly, Ross and Thacker.

• Moving thirdly to local streets, cul-de-sacs, etc.

If, for some reason, crews have not been to your street after more than 48 hours since the last snowfall, please contact us. Call 778-797-2225 during office hours 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding holidays. Afterhours please call AEL at 1-866-353-3136. Please remain polite and courteous during all dealings with staff.

Residents, please help clear the way:

• Park off street up to 48 hours after the snowfall ends and you see that snow has been cleared.

  • On-street parking makes plowing difficult and sometimes impossible. Incidents have occurred where plows could not pass parked cars to clear streets.

• Do not shovel snow from driveways and sidewalks back onto the street.Keep snow cleared from hydrants and storm drains around your property – if you know of a buried hydrant around your area, please help clear away the snow.

  • This also slows plow drivers’ work. Pile snow on your property.
• Keep snow cleared from hydrants and storm drains around your property – if you know of a buried hydrant around your area, please help clear away the snow.

• Shovel snow to the left (as you face your home) so plows drag less snow across accesses.

  • Sorry, passing plows direct snow to the right and do leave windrows.

• Remove snow and ice from sidewalks and walkways bordering your property. 

  • The city removes snow and ice from designated sidewalks, primarily adjacent to civic buildings, parks and pedestrian accesses.

If you must venture out, please have proper tires for the season; give yourself extra travel time; and, drive carefully, leaving extra reaction time and braking space between vehicles. Learn more at shiftintowinter.ca. 

For roads maintenance on Highway 97, 97C and Westside Road call AIM at 1-866-222-4204. For WR Bennett Bridge, call Protrans at 1-888-769-2925. If you live in strata, check with your board or management company.  

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