City yards ‘maxed out’ as snow removal becomes serious business Flooding, foundation concerns expected as more than 1.5m of snow melts in spring
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2022 (941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
During this brief-yet-freezing cold break from snowfall, Winnipeg homeowners may be looking out their windows and wondering: where do you put it all?
The waist-high walls of snow created by residents only able to shovel enough to get in and out have become a common sight, and most yards in the city are just a few flakes away from having more snow than they can handle, according to Troy Schmid, owner of Sodfather lawn care service and snow removal.
“Most yards at this point are maxed out,” Schmid said Tuesday.
“People that have yards, they’re one or two snowfalls away from having to have it removed, and then some of the yards in the newer neighborhoods were already maxed out, so they’re going to be forced to have to remove it if we have another snowfall.”
Schmid has been in the business for 11 years and said this is the first time he’s had to bring in a company that owns a Bobcat skid steer loader to remove snow for clients. He said around 50 per cent of calls he receives now are either requests for snow to be moved or removed.
“We’re already booking into March, and we’ll probably be fully booked,” he said. “Right now, we’re not taking on new clients, because we’re so far back.”
The issue is exacerbated by newer residential developments that often have just a sliver of yard space and are now completely overwhelmed with snow, Schmid said.
Those who do manage to snag an appointment with a local company for removal will have their snow dumped at private disposal sites or the three open city-owned sites.
“Just the volume of snow and the drifting, people are going to have some serious flooding concerns and foundation concerns in the coming year.” – Troy Schmid
One of the City of Winnipeg’s locations (on Kenaston Boulevard) has been closed for the season because it has already reached capacity.
Schmid expects he’ll be clearing snow well into March, and believes there will be some panic when the weather warms.
“I think a lot of homeowners are going to be in for a big surprise, even if we have a slow melt,” he said.
“Just the volume of snow and the drifting, people are going to have some serious flooding concerns and foundation concerns in the coming year.”
According to retired meteorologist Rob Paola, who tracks Winnipeg’s snowfall from his home, there has been 157 centimetres of snowfall this winter season, with 120 cm falling in the last 60 days.
Even as the city prepares to clear residential streets blanketed Winnipeg since the last plow, some residents are concerned the lack of focus on snow removal is exacerbating existing issues.
Rylan Chackowsky lives on Beliveau Road, a south end residential street.
Busy weekend
Close calls, fender-benders and service tows were a common sight on Manitoba streets over the long weekend, as recent snow gave way to a deep freeze.
Social media was filled with testimonies of accidents caused by deep ice ruts and snowbanks falling into the streets. Between Friday and Monday, CAA said it performed over 1,300 battery assists and towing rescues.
Close calls, fender-benders and service tows were a common sight on Manitoba streets over the long weekend, as recent snow gave way to a deep freeze.
Social media was filled with testimonies of accidents caused by deep ice ruts and snowbanks falling into the streets. Between Friday and Monday, CAA said it performed over 1,300 battery assists and towing rescues.
While MPI received just 327 claim calls, as of Tuesday afternoon – an especially low number with a majority likely coming from weekend accidents, spokesperson Brian Smiley said – it isn’t entirely surprising: blizzard conditions usually forces motorists to slow down considerably.
This wild winter has resulted in auto insurance claims skyrocketing — there have been 26,423 collision claims in the province since the beginning of January, compared to 15,536 in the same period last year.
“Obviously, road conditions come into play, whether they be ice ruts or polished intersections, white-out conditions, high snow banks — all those factors come into play,” Smiley said. “So you can see or the data shows that this winter has had an impact on our collision counts.”
Smiley said motorists should be reducing speed especially significantly as the icy conditions continue. If a residential road’s speed limit is 50 km/h, drivers should be looking at cutting speed by at least half.
“We are far from ideal right now. I know that many streets are narrow, because the removal of snow is a is a major process, and timely,” Smiley said Tuesday. “But motorists are expected to try to do their part to avoid a collision.”
The city will begin plowing residential streets starting Wednesday at 7 a.m.
The extended snow route parking ban that was put into effect Monday has been lifted, but those who park on the street will have to move their vehicles according to the city’s snow zone schedule.
Residents can find their snow zone online, by calling 311 or through the Know Your Zone app.
On one side of the road, the heaps of snow make it nearly impossible to walk on the sidewalk. On the other side, he said, the sidewalk “is basically just kind of part of the road” because of the built-up ice.
Chackowsky said he’s seen people with mobility issues and young children be forced to walk directly on the St. Vital neighbourhood street, putting themselves in harm’s way.
“It’s always stressful driving through when there’s kids walking around, and even just living here and watching,” he told the Free Press.
“You don’t want something to happen. One of these days, it seems like something might, just because it’s so dangerous.”
Even if the street is plowed this week, he worries the resulting snow build-up will cause more problems.
“They’ll plow the street itself and then it’s just extremely built up on the sides, there’s no real removal, it’s just a lot of build-up,” he said. “And taking any turn is very tricky to do because you have to stick your car out pretty far to even see past the snowbank, which is another hazard, you’re basically sticking yourself into oncoming traffic.”
A city spokesperson said it’s expected this week’s residential snow clearing operation will cost between $4.5 million and $8 million.
Chackowsky said he understands this winter’s conditions have been severe, but hopes the city will do more to make his neighbourhood more accessible.
“It’s a really nice community, and I just kind of worry for the safety of residents who we see on a daily basis struggling to just walk around,” he said.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
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