Mother Nature has been kind so far this season, but it appears we could see our first snowflakes this weekend. Forecasts suggest Ottawa could see rain turning to snow Sunday through Monday. We are not expecting a significant snowfall or accumulation. Road temperatures are warm enough to melt the snow on contact. Our Roads and Parking Services team will be ready to respond to changing conditions.
A message from the Director of Roads Services at Public Works
What to Expect from our Roads and Parking Team
Our team is currently transitioning from summer activities like sidewalk repairs, ironworks, rural ditching and mowing to our winter operations of snow clearing and removal. Our Roads and Parking Services team completes the transition to winter operations over a two-week period in early November – to ensure staff are prepared for early winter weather events.
This weekend, staff will be ready to respond to any weather event. Supervisors will be out over the weekend monitoring roads and conditions. If needed, they will send crews out to treat or clear the roads, sidewalks and winter cycling network.
Those members of the Roads and Parking Services team who are not required to respond to winter weather will continue with their winter preparations, including training and equipment readiness.
Clearing Catch Basins
This weekend’s weather is expected to begin with heavy rain. The rain will begin today, and it will continue throughout the weekend. We’re asking residents to continue to clear their local catch basin of leaves and debris. A clear catch basin allows water to drain off the road, making it safer for resident travel. As temperatures drop, water that is left on the road may freeze causing dangerous conditions. Small steps taken now to keep catch basins clear will help prevent water pooling on our roads.
Winter Weather Parking Bans
We have no reason to call a winter weather parking ban this weekend. However, the first snow is an opportunity to remind residents to prepare for more significant weather that will arrive later this season.
Winter weather parking bans are called to support winter operations when snow accumulations are expected. When there are no cars on the roads, our teams can clear them more efficiently and effectively. They can get closer to the curbs keeping the catch basins clear and the roads open wider. This work is critical as the season progresses.
Please encourage residents to sign up for our winter weather parking ban notifications. There are four ways that you can stay informed:
- Sign up to the Winter Parking Alerts eSubscription and get winter parking updates sent straight to your email
- Follow the City on Twitter or on Facebook to get the latest updates
- Download the City of Ottawa App for your Android or Apple device and turn on notifications
- Visit Ottawa.ca/winter to stay up to date on our winter operations.
These options, combined with our new set times for calling a winter weather parking ban, should ensure no residents are unaware of when bans go into place.
Going forward, with the exception of significant weather events, our Roads and Parking Services team will be aiming to:
- Make the Winter Weather Parking Ban call by 9 am for an overnight parking ban – overnight parking bans will be from 7 pm to 7 am.
- Make the Winter Weather Parking Ban call by 3:30 pm for a daytime parking ban – daytime parking bans will be from 10 am to 7 pm.
We are also confirming that identified Business Parking Areas will continue to allow paid parking during a winter weather parking ban.
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