Winter Road Maintenance & FAQ

Residents living on corner lots or the first on the right of an intersection usually get more snow deposited in their driveways. When the snow plow turns right it sweeps a much larger area of the road than when it is traveling in a straight line, as well, the snow also does not discharge from the plow truck. Turning right effectively makes the plow push most of the snow ahead instead of moving it from the centre of the road to the side. The first property and driveway encountered after the plow straightens out usually gets more snow than others in the immediate

All operators are instructed to split the snow as evenly as possible on both sides of the road, sharing the snow load. Sometimes parked cars create an uneven split in the snow. Residents are reminded that parked cars restrict snow clearing activities and owners are subject to a fine and/or tow. Please do your part, and do not park on the street during storms.

All municipalities are legislated by the Province of Ontario to ensure roads are maintained for safety to all residents and road users. To meet the legislated requirements and maintain Council-approved service levels, a bylaw was enacted to prohibit snow dumping on roads. Residents should not push snow back onto the road – it makes it unsafe for everyone.

No, this is punishable under the same bylaw above, and subject to a fine. If this is happening, please contact the municipality and a bylaw officer will be dispatched to the home of the resident creating the mess.

The total length of road in Strathroy-Caradoc is 330km. The equivalent of driving from Strathroy to Peterborough.

The decision to deploy snow removal equipment is made by the Public Works team based on forecasted weather and actual snow measurements. Strathroy-Caradoc winter service levels either meet or, in many cases, exceed the Province of Ontario’s legislated service levels for clearing snow from roads and sidewalks.

Strathroy-Caradoc follows the standards for winter maintenance established by the Province. Roads are categorized into five main classes based on traffic volume and speed limit. Strathroy-Caradoc is made up of class 3, 4 and 5 roads. Class 3 roads, which include main and some secondary collector roads, and larger rural roads take first priority. Class 4 and 5, which include rural and local streets and cul-de-sacs, have less priority.

In many cases, the municipality winter service levels exceed the minimum standards which are:

• Class 3 roads - 8cm of snow accumulation – plows deployed within 12 hours after the snow accumulation has ended. Class 3 examples: Head St N, Carrie St, Front St, Queen St, McEvoy Rd, Christina Rd, Parkhouse Dr.
  
  
• Class 4 roads – 8cm of snow accumulation – plows deploy within 16 hours after the snow accumulation has ended. Class 4 examples: All the rural roads

• Class 5 roads – 10cm of snow accumulation – plows deploy within 24 hours after the snow accumulation has ended. Class 5 examples: local, residential roads

Strathroy-Caradoc has 9 snow plow routes:

• 4 Routes in Strathroy ranging from 15km to 25km
• 1 Route in Mt. Brydges that is 30km
• 4 Routes in the rural areas ranging from 50km to 60km

That depends on how much snow falls and how fast. However, based on snow accumulation, it will typically take between 4-7 hours to completely plow all the municipality’s roads. This includes public parking lots.

Strathroy-Caradoc has 110km of sidewalk in the Municipality. There are 4 sidewalk plow routes:

• 2 Routes in Strathroy
• 1 Route in Mt. Brydges
• 1 Route in Melbourne

In many cases, the municipality winter service levels for sidewalks exceed the minimum standards which are:

To reduce the snow to a depth of less than or equal to 8cm within 48 hours and to provide a minimum sidewalk width of 1 meter

A large portion of your boulevard is municipal property, roughly where your water supply valve is located in your driveway or front lawn. Residents are advised to remove all driveway borders, sprinklers, gardens or garden features near the road or sidewalks.
The plow operator may have difficulty finding the sidewalk or the edge of the road under a blanket of snow, or if the ground is not frozen. If the sod was damaged during the first pass of the season then the damage may not be discovered until the snow melts. The cost to repair sod damage is relatively minor because we have found that homeowners will repair the damage in front of their property before the municipality crews arrive. This is a tremendous help because municipal staff typically don't repair sod damage until the winter season is typically over. To report sod damage for repair in the spring please contact the municipality at 519-245-1105 ext 249. The municipality is only responsible to repair sod damage.

The municipality will repair or replace a damaged or destroyed mailbox if the damage is deemed to result from a direct hit by plow equipment. Mailboxes damaged by snow load off the plow equipment will not be eligible for repair or replacement by the municipality. The responsibility for maintaining mailboxes lies with the owner of the mailbox. Mailbox owners are required to repair their own mailboxes that have been damaged by snow impact. Please re-attach the mailbox securely to prevent this from happening again.

To report a damaged mailbox, please contact the municipality at 519-245-1105 ext 249. An inspection, assessment and recommendation will be made by the road supervisor.

Mailboxes replaced by the municipality will be a basic mailbox, not necessarily the same as the original mailbox. Damaged posts will be replaced by temporary posts with permanent repairs undertaken in the spring once the frost is out of the ground.

Sprinklers are not permitted in the municipal right of way. Sprinklers located within the municipal boulevard and Right of Way that are damaged as a result of plowing activities are the responsibility of the respective property owner for any repairs that maybe required.
In the event sprinklers are damaged that are located on private property please contact the municipality at 519-245-1105 ext 249 for a review by municipal staff and to schedule repairs (if required).