Ready to clear the ice and snow
CBRM prepared to keep roadways clear until end of season
Winter is coming and unless you’re a snowbird bound for southern climes, there’s no avoiding its signature characteristics of ice and snow.
But there is some good news — long-term forecasts are predicting warmer than normal temperatures. However, both Environment Canada and the Farmers Almanac are also calling for above average snowfall for the coming winter.
While snow has yet to accumulate in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, the signs of winter cannot be ignored.
The CBRM’s winter parking regulations come into effect today and prohibit the parking of any vehicle on any street or highway in the municipality from 1 a.m. through 6 a.m. Furthermore, no vehicles are to be parked or left on any street or highway when doing so would “hinder, inconvenience or prevent the proper removal of snow and ice.”
And, while many people are busy preparing for Christmas, CBRM work crews are readying for “winter operations,” to which the municipality annually budgets $2.5 million.
According to public works
manager Robert Nearing, the CBRM heads into the winter season with about 70 pieces of mobile equipment, including 24 loader plows, 20 sidewalk plows and 16 salt trucks.
“They’ve been busy preparing the equipment at the end of the summer season with the goal of having the equipment
ready by October,” said Nearing, who added that both crews and equipment are ready when needed.
He said management has reviewed the latest capital works projects for deviations or changes to existing routes and has checked in with the various private snow removal firms contracted
by the municipality.
Nearing said that while municipal crews and private contractors have their responsibilities, so too does the public when it comes to large snowfall events.
“For example, it’s not always possible for the CBRM to clear the sidewalks and hydrants as soon as the snow stops falling because the priority is to get the main roads and collector roads done,” he said. “So residents may assist in clearing snow from around hydrants and sidewalks in front of their own property whenever they can.”
Nearing also said that winter operations are carried out on a priority basis, with the first being the plowing and de-icing of arterial roads. Then crews move on to collector streets and lesser-used roads before taking on the sidewalks and removing snow from around hydrants.
As for jurisdiction, Nearing said Nova Scotia’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal is primarily responsible for roads and highways in the former County of Cape Breton, with the exception of those designated as being CBRM responsibility.