For the first time this season removal crews will begin hauling away snow from Montreal's streets and sidewalks on Tuesday.
"Every year people are complaining. They see they snow they say 'Wow, it's nice, but you have to remove it.' So we say be patient," said Anie Samson, the Executive Committee member overseeing snow removal.
Samson said it will, as always, take the rest of the week to clean it up.
"Every year for the past 375 years it's been snowing in Montreal, so when we have snow like this, it takes four days," said Samson.
The first step in removing the snow is notifying drivers to move their cars.
Signs will be posted on Monday warning drivers to get their cars off the street, and if they don't their cars will be towed away.
During every storm about 5,000 drivers habitually abandon their vehicles and let city workers haul them away to another street.
During snow clearing operations, the city makes nearly 3,500 overnight parking spaces available to residents for free. Find one near you here.
20 cm of snow
The majority of the snow had fallen my midday Monday, and when it's finished some regions of Quebec can expect up to 20 centimetres of accumulation.
City workers began plowing streets overnight Sunday and will be at work throughout the day.
The snowfall meant that driving was difficult, especially as drivers interacted with snow plows and other city workers.
The STM warned commuters early Monday that its buses, like all road traffic, faced delays.
Notice to customers: due to bad weather conditions, expect delays in bus service. #STM #STM U
— STM (@stminfo) December 12, 2016
There will not, however, be a repeat of the multi-vehicle pileup on Beaver Hall Hill that happened last week. Snow plows repeatedly went up and down that street on Monday to ensure there was no chance for snow or ice to accumulate.
With the snow comes a moderate wind of 20 km/h with gusts up to 40 km/h, strong enough to have a serious impact on visibility.
Car towing
Ever had your car towed after a snowstorm? We asked the city, legally, how much notice they have to give residents before they move their cars for snow removal. Here’s what they told us:
For snow-removal operations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.: The sign must by posted before 8 p.m. the evening before.
For snow-removal operations between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.: The sign must be posted before 11 a.m. that day, barring exceptional circumstances.
The exception is on the first day after the storm, when the sign forbidding parking between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. may be posted before 3 p.m. that day.
