Sidewalks – snow and ice control
The City of Guelph clears snow from 660 km of sidewalk, 180 crosswalks, crossings, steps, walkways, and 650 bus stops throughout the city.
Sidewalks are prioritized based on pedestrian traffic volume and proximity to high use facilities, such as schools, hospitals, and public buildings.
In Guelph, there are eight zones for snow plowing and six zones for sanding, which are prioritized into three classifications:
High Priority – 219 km of sidewalk is cleared when 4 cm of snow accumulates and within 24 hours of the end of a storm.
Medium Priority – 100 km of sidewalk is cleared when 4 cm of snow accumulates and within two days of the end of a storm.
Residential – 340 km of sidewalk is cleared when 8 cm of snow accumulates and within three to four days of the end of a storm.
The Equipment
The City uses specially designed equipment to quickly and efficiently plow snow off the sidewalk and spread a sand/salt mixture to provide traction or melt ice.
The City of Guelph fleet consists of:
- 2 trackless units each with a straight blade plow attachment for downtown sidewalks
- 10 trackless units each with v-blade plow attachments and blower attachments for main city sidewalks
These units normally travel at approximately 15 km/hr when plowing. Under spreading conditions, the unit travels approximately 8-10 km/hr to ensure sufficient application and coverage.
January 7, 2011
Caring Community