City of Calgary aiming for faster snow clearing on priority roads this winter

The announcement from the City of Calgary comes as many across the city make final preparations ahead of the incoming snowfall, which has triggered warnings in southern Alberta.

With snow in the forecast, the City of Calgary has set goals to clear major roadways and transit stops faster this upcoming winter.

Changes to the city’s winter operations program will see major roads, community roadways and transit routes cleared within 36 hours after a major snowfall, compared to the prior response time of 48 hours.

According to the city, routes will still be prioritized based on traffic volumes, with roads like Crowchild Trail and MacLeod Trail classified as priority one routes.

The changes also mean community roads and transit stops will also get cleared within 18 hours of a snowfall.

“These enhanced service levels mean that we’ll be completing our snow operations on priority routes faster to improve safety and mobility for Calgarians,” City of Calgary mobility maintenance manager, Chris Hewitt, said in a statement.

The changes come following direction and increased funding from Calgary city council.

City officials said that funding will help with maintaining a 24-hour response time to clear prioritized pedestrian pathways, sidewalks around city-owned properties and more than 1,300 high-use transit stops.

“I think Calgarians will start noticing a difference because it does affect mobility for more than half the year,” Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp said. “It affects everybody’s mobility, regardless if you’re riding a bike, if you’re driving in a car, if you walk.”