Montreal snow removal expected to be completed before the weekend

After 30 centimetres of snow walloped streets and sidewalks, the City of Montreal says it is on track to clear it all before the weekend.

As of Monday afternoon, boroughs are reporting an average of 33 per cent of snow removal operations have been completed.

• See borough-by-borough progress here

The city said it’s expected to have completed half of the work by Wednesday.

Due to the heavy snowfall, some streets have required two passes to clear the snow and haul it all away.

For drivers, that means paying close attention to no parking signs. Residents should also be cautious about keeping garbage cans, recycling bins, and discarded Christmas trees off sidewalks, and consider waiting a week to put those items out if possible.

If snowplows turn onto a street and there are too many items blocking their path, they may just not clean it, explained city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin.

Sabourin noted that anyone who leaves their car in a spot where parking is prohibited should know it will not only slow down cleaning, but will also be costly.

“We’re asking everyone to move their car at the appropriate time,” said Sabourin, who says the ticket is close to $200 for a tow.

“For an example this morning on de Lorimier, there were 15 cars needing to be towed. So we’re losing time and we’re less effective when we have to tow cars. No one gains.”

He reminded motorists that the city has thousands of free parking spaces in the city that can be used during snow cleaning.

The Info-Neige app has also been what he called a game changer in that it provindes real-time information about progress on streets.

• Download the Info-Neige app  

Anyone who has their vehicle towed can search for it on Info-Remorquage or call 311.

The schedule is posted on the city's website, which includes maps where alternate parking can be found.

The following measures will be in place throughout the operation:

• Free incentive parking spaces, mostly available at night;
• Rapid removal of parking bans once loading is complete in order to limit parking ban periods;
• Special attention to pavements to facilitate active travel;
• Increased interventions by the Mobility Squad to clear the public domain of any furniture or equipment that could cause machinery breakdowns that slow down operations and special surveillance around construction sites to punish illegal snow deposits on the public highway

MONTREAL-AREA SNOW REMOVAL LINKS