City of Quesnel Snow Crews remove snow at record rate

City snow crews are out in force again today, doing what they’ve been doing for 17 out of the last 18 days – plowing snow. And while it’s not a record, (City crews once plowed for 17 straight days in the mid ‘90s) it’s still noteworthy.

Since the snow started falling on Jan. 4, Quesnel has been blanketed with about 90 centimetres of the white stuff. And moving it all comes at a cost. For each day the City has to plow snow, between $20,000 and $28,000 is spent, depending on the types and numbers of equipment needed. It is not uncommon for the City to use three sander/plow trucks, three graders, two loaders, 10 dump trucks, six backhoes and two bobcats at one time.

Some of it is City equipment, with approximately 50% of it contracted locally at the height of operations. There are also as many as six staff people hand shoveling and snowblowing steps and other areas that equipment can’t reach.

The City has spent approximately $260,000 on snow removal so far in 2011.
“This has been a remarkable series of snowfall events,” said Ken Coombs, the acting director of public works. “The crews have put in a lot of hours and a lot of effort to keep the roads and sidewalks as clear as possible given the near
record snowfall circumstances. We appreciate all the public does to help us out and everyone’s patience as we try to remove the snow as quickly as possible.”

Some ways the public can help include: parking in driveways rather than on-street wherever possible; placing garbage cans at the end of driveways, and not against a snow bank; bringing garbage cans in as soon as possible; not plowing snow from driveways onto the street; providing City crews with room to manoeuvre their equipment; driving to conditions; and being understanding.

Prior to today’s snowstorm, the City had gone through about 40% of neighbourhood streets, widening roads and lowering some of the huge snowbanks that have been created. City crews will spend the next few days cleaning up after today’s snowfall and continuing to widen roadways. Once the streets are plowed, City crews will continue to work on improving sightlines for drivers and pedestrians.

“With the narrower streets, we ask people to be aware of the space required for emergency vehicles from fire trucks, to ambulance vehicles, police cars and tow trucks to pass through, and to leave as much open space on their streets as
possible,” added Fire Chief Sylvain Gauthier. “In times of emergency, we want to respond as quickly and as safely as possible.”

For more information, visit www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/PublicWorks/snow_clearing.asp and download the snow clearing guide. This guide explains what the City does in the event of a snowfall, the order in which streets are plowed and provides answers to frequently asked questions.