Snow Event

The City will formally declare a Snow Event when snow accumulation is forecasted to be more than 8cm or when crews need to service residential roads due to icy conditions. This triggers an on-street parking ban, and all parked vehicles must be removed from the road to enable road winter servicing by crews.

When a Snow Event is declared, all major roads are serviced, typically while snow is still falling. When the snow fall has substantially ended, the remaining streets, laneways, courts, and cul-de-sacs are serviced by crews and contractors in accordance with Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards. 

Note that most residential streets, laneways, courts, and cul-de-sacs will not be regularly treated with salt to mitigate impacts to the environment and the drinking water in our community. Most residential streets will remain snow-covered throughout much of the winter season. These are typically low volume, low speed roads and drivers are expected to drive to the road conditions to safely navigate these roads.

Some portions of the road network are maintained through contracted services and may not have a City Logo, and work may not occur simultaneously with other area streets (in-particular: cul-de-sacs and some laneways).

Snow events are posted on the Snow Event Declarations page and our social media platforms and can start at any time. Snow Events remain in effect for 24 hours from the start time or until a cancellation is issued. 

Not all snow fall warrants the declaration of a snow event.

Parking

During a declared snow event, parking is prohibited on all streets until the snow event has ended. All previously issued parking exemptions are cancelled. This allows our operators to quickly and safely clear snow and treat roadways without parked vehicles in the way. Any vehicle that interferes with snow-clearing operations may be ticketed and/or towed at the owners expense. The set fine amount is $80. 

Towing occurs to the degree necessary to allow snow clearing operations to take place. As such, it is possible that some cars will be towed from a street while others are not, even though all the cars are in violation of the by-law.

Sidewalks

In addition to keeping cars off the street during a snow event, residents are also required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks at the front and side of homes and businesses within 36 hours following the end of any snow fall. Snow and ice-covered sidewalks can be hazardous to residents, especially those who already have mobility restrictions.

City bylaw officers respond to complaints and proactively monitor sidewalks for compliance. To report an unshovelled sidewalk contact Service Cambridge at (519) 623-1340. 

For information on snow clearing, visit the winter maintenance page.