Library programs at the St. Laurent library branch - January
Who has been hard at work clearing snow in Ottawa? The Roads and Parking Services team, that’s who! This storm packed a punch and crews have been busy. Our night shift has been working nonstop to stay ahead of this storm and, this morning, the day shift took over right where they left off.
Forecast and Conditions
A Snowfall Warning remains in effect for the City of Ottawa as winter storm conditions continue today.
As of 7am this morning, the City had already received 22 centimetres of snow since the storm began yesterday afternoon. As expected, snow began to fall yesterday afternoon and intensified during the evening hours and overnight, quickly covering the transportation network - and it’s still falling. The snow will continue this morning with a few more centimetres anticipated before tapering off to flurries by early afternoon.
Travel conditions remain challenging today; if you must be out, please adjust to the conditions of our sidewalks, roads and winter cycling network.
Once this system moves out of the region, Ottawa will drop into a deep freeze. Overnight lows are likely to push into the minus teens for temperatures and mid-minus 20s for wind chill values.
Our Response
Our priority will continue to be on clearing and treating sidewalks, priority roads, and the winter cycling network. Given the amount of snowfall accumulation, crews are expected to start clearing residential streets this morning and will continue this work into the evening hours.
The snow is dry and light, but there is a lot of it - which means operations will take time. There will be problem spots at bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, pedestrian islands and corners, but the Roads and Parking Services team are hard at work and will get the job done.
Winter Weather Parking Ban is in Effect
A Winter Weather Parking Ban is in effect until 7 pm tonight. When vehicles are removed from our streets, the Roads and Parking Services team can clear snow efficiently to create a wide open roadway.
During this time, all vehicles must be removed from the roadway - unless you have an eligible parking permit or are accessing parking in our exempted commercial main streets. Though eligible parking permit holders are exempt, we encourage those who can, to remove their vehicles to prevent them from being snowed in. Information on parking options during a winter weather parking ban is available on Ottawa.ca/winterparking.
Residents can stay in the know about our winter weather parking bans by signing up for e-alerts at Ottawa.ca, or by downloading the City of Ottawa app.
Fun Facts about Winter Operations
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During a major winter event like today’s, all available resources are deployed:
- Over 500 pieces of winter equipment and operators (includes city-owned, leased and contracted)
- Ottawa has received over 150 centimetres of snow so far this 2022/2023 winter season (not including this winter event)
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During a winter event, our crews clear and treat:
- Over 13,000 lane kilometres of roadway, including 137 kilometres of Transitway - a distance further than driving from Halifax to Vancouver AND BACK in a snow storm
- 2,510 kilometres of sidewalks (which equals a trip from City Hall to Regina)
- 54 kilometres of the winter cycling network
- 17 Park & Rides, with approximately 8,628 parking spaces
Next Steps
The Roads and Parking Services team will continue to monitor the forecast and the transportation network, and I will continue to provide you with updates regarding our operational response.
We would like to thank everyone for your ongoing patience and support.
