Snow event and parking ban beginning at 11:59 p.m. tonight (Friday)

The City of Waterloo has declared a snow event, and the on-street parking ban will be in effect as of 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 3. 

Residents must remove cars from streets by midnight tonight or risk being ticketed and towed. The parking ban will remain in effect for at least 24 hours. Removing cars from streets will ensure safe and quick snow removal. Overnight parking exemptions will not be permitted.

Under the city’s traffic and parking bylaw, parking is prohibited on all streets at any time a snow event is declared until it is cancelled, not just overnight. Snow events are declared when the city anticipates a significant amount of snow to accumulate. A typical snow event declaration will be announced earlier in the day of the event and effective for a full 24 hours or until the snow event has been cancelled.

Residents are encouraged to subscribe to the city’s service alert news feed or follow the city on Twitter or Facebook to determine if a parking ban is still in effect. If individuals suspect their car has been towed through this program, they should call the Waterloo Regional Police dispatch number at 519-570-9777 to find out where their car is located.

Residents are asked to be patient and allow crews to get their work done as quickly as possible. During snowfall, crews will return multiple times to clear snow on main roads and GRT bus routes. Residential roads will not be cleared until the snow lessens or stops, these roads have not been forgotten. Check out our short video about plowing streets to learn more. Residents can assist by not parking on the streets at any time during the snow event, and not pushing snow from driveways or parking lots into or across the street.

Clearing sidewalks and trails

City crews maintain approximately 170 kms of sidewalks and trails. When possible, we ask residents to please minimize their use of trails and sidewalks after a snow event to allow staff time to complete their snow clearing operations. Crews use trackless units with plows, blowers and salters for the majority of this work. This equipment moves much more slowly than a road plow, and it is not unusual for roads to be cleared before city-maintained sidewalks and trails.

Staff will start snow clearing operations on our most heavily used primary sidewalks and trails. During continuous snowfalls, primary routes may require multiple passes before staff can move into the lesser used secondary routes. For residents and property owners on city-maintained sidewalks and trail routes, we ask that vehicles not be parked over the city maintained areas to allow crews to complete their passes. As a reminder, do not deposit snow from private properties onto sidewalks/trails and roadways. This can be dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

The city requires residents to clear snow and ice from sidewalks at the front and side of homes and businesses within 24 hours after the end of a snow fall. Although it’s the law, it’s also the neighbourly thing to do. Snow or ice-covered sidewalks can be treacherous for all residents, especially those who already have mobility restrictions.

During the winter months, several city bylaw officers are dedicated full-time to ensuring snow-clearing regulations are followed by residents. Staff respond to complaints, and proactively monitor sidewalks for compliance. To report unshovelled sidewalks, register a complaint online anytime at mypermits.waterloo.ca, or by calling 519-747-8785 Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

More information

For more information about the city’s snow clearing priorities for roads and sidewalks and some tips for driving/parking when plows are active, visit waterloo.ca/snow. View our short video with Kevin, one of our snow plow operators to learn more about the plowing process and challenges.

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Media contact:

Cari Van Niekerk
Manager, Corporate Communications
cari.vanniekerk@waterloo.ca