Winter weather has shown up early this year and the Town of Georgina is ready. Did you know the Town is responsible for approximately 333 kilometres of roads, 140 kilometres of sidewalks and multi-use paths, and 25 municipal parking lots? A combination of Town-owned trucks and contracted services provide snowplowing and salting services to Town roads and sidewalks through a primary and secondary route system.
Operations tracker
Wondering where the plows are? The Town’s operations tracker shows where the snowplows are during snow clearing operations. Will it be snowplow Darth Blader or maybe sidewalk plow Luke Sidewalker coming to clear your neighbourhood? Find the tracker and the names of all the plows at georgina.ca/snow.
Service levels
The Town has developed carefully planned service levels for winter road maintenance. Priority roads are chosen based on emergency vehicle routes and fire stations, traffic volumes, transit routes, steep hills, common gathering locations, connectivity of road network, and knowledge of difficult maintenance areas. Once these roads have been cleared, secondary road segments within each route will follow.
Windrows
When plows clear the roads, they push snow to the side of the road which creates a windrow, a pile of snow at the end of your driveway. The Town understands that windrows are frustrating, but they are an unavoidable part of plowing snow to keep roads clear and safe for everyone.
Winter maintenance event
Before a major snowfall event, the Town may declare a Winter Maintenance Event that will require all parked vehicles be removed from Town roads to allow maintenance vehicles to complete the snow-removal operations. The three-hour on-street parking allowance is removed for the duration of the Winter Maintenance Event and no on-street parking is allowed.
Significant weather event
During a significant winter storm, the Town may declare a Significant Weather Event. This means the forecast winter weather is expected to pose a significant danger to users of the roads and highways within a municipality and may exceed the Town’s ability to meet the minimum provincial maintenance standards. The declaration of a Significant Weather Event for the Town will usually align with declarations made by the Regional Municipality of York or the Province of Ontario.
No on-street parking
As per the Traffic and Parking Bylaw, parking is not allowed on most streets from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., Nov. 15 through April 15, whether there is snow on the ground or not. This helps the Town clear streets of snow overnight with the least impact to residents and businesses.
Keep roads clear
Don’t throw snow or ice on the road when clearing your driveway or sidewalk. It’s against the law, contributes to unsafe driving and walking conditions, and increases the cost of providing winter road maintenance.
Waste and recycling
To make waste and recycling pick up easy and efficient, residents are reminded to place items at the end of the driveway so they are visible. Do not place bins or garbage on top of or behind snowbanks.
Keep fire hydrants clear
If you have a fire hydrant by your house, remember to clear the snow around it for about three feet and clear a path from the hydrant to the street. In the case of a fire every second counts. Thank you for helping Georgina Fire and Rescue Services keep you safe.
Regional roads
York Region plows the major roads in Georgina such as Woodbine Avenue, Metro Road, Dalton Road, Ravenshoe Road, Baseline Road and Pefferlaw Road. An interactive map that highlights all regional roads in Georgina and York Region can be found at york.ca/roads.
Winter Control Guide
The Winter Control Guide outlines everything the Town does for winter maintenance from plowing and salting roads to clearing sidewalks and monitoring the weather. It can be found at georgina.ca/snow.
When driving in winter conditions, remember to allow for extra time and space on the roads. The Town encourages everyone to drive safely.
For more information on winter operations and snowplowing in Georgina, visit georgina.ca/snow.