The City of Côte Saint-Luc has rules to ensure that snow removal is done in a safe, timely and effective way. Residents are called upon to do their part to help make their roads safe in winter. To notify the City of Côte Saint-Luc about a snow-related problem, call 514-485-6800 or send an e-mail message to [email protected].
Duration of snow removal operations
During and after every snowfall, the City of Côte Saint-Luc plows, salts, and clears 65 km of roads and 122 km of sidewalks. Snow removal operations by the City such as salting, plowing and removal are conducted around the clock. Major snow-removal operations normally take up to 5 days to complete and occur primarily between 6 am and 6 pm.
Snow banks and driveways
The snow plowing operation initially involves moving the snow to the curb in order to allow traffic to flow safely. The snow plowing operation inevitably causes snow to accumulate in front of driveways. The City will follow up by removing these snow banks during the subsequent snow-removal operation. However the city is not responsible for keeping access to everyone’s driveway clear before the scheduled snow-removal operation happens. Residents who want access in the meantime are responsible for clearing the edge of their driveways.
Sidewalk snow clearing
The City’s procedure is to clear at least one of the two sidewalks on each street soon after a snowfall. Sometimes private contractors push snow from driveways onto clean sidewalks making them impassable. Other times, continuing snowfall covers up the sidewalks the City cleaned earlier or blowing snow covers up part of the clean sidewalk. As a result, it may look like the City didn’t clear one of the sidewalks when, in fact, it already has.
Cooperation of residents and private snow removal contractors
We urge residents to speak to their contractors to remind them that pushing snow onto the sidewalk (or street) violates Côte Saint-Luc by-laws. We also ask that residents do their part by pushing snow onto their lawns and not onto sidewalks (and streets). The city will do its part by cleaning the sidewalks (and streets) in a timely manner.
Temporary no-parking signs
During and after snowstorms, residents are asked to respect all temporary no-parking signs placed by the Public Works Department for the purpose of snow removal. If you don’t, your vehicle may be towed to an adjacent street and you will be fined $153. If your vehicle is towed, you can call 514-485-6960 to find out where it was moved.
Avoid damage to your vehicle
Sidewalks must not be obstructed by vehicles parked too close, or by vehicles overhanging the edge of a driveway. Sidewalk snow plows need the entire width of the sidewalk in order to safely clean it. To avoid plows accidentally damaging your vehicle, park your car at least 6 inches or 15 cm (but not more than 12 inches) from the curb. This allows for safe passage of the sidewalk plows.
Blowing on lawns
When necessary, the city may blow snow on your lawn as part of normal snow removal operations. The city is not responsible for damage to plants, driveway curbs, fences or other items that are placed within the city’s setback.
Maximum capacity of the snow dump and snow blowing on private lawns
Having a snow dump in Côte Saint-Luc is a great benefit that permits us to speed up snow removal operations during winter. It also saves the cost of transporting and depositing snow to other dumps located outside the city. However, our snow dump has a limited capacity — even though it is quite large. With the accumulated snowfall we have received since the beginning of the 2017-2018 winter seasons, we are reaching the maximum capacity of our snow dump.
As a result, the city is currently working to make more space available in the dump. During this time, the city is obliged to blow snow onto private lawns in the case of snowfall reaching the amount where snow removal operations must begin.
Private contractors
The city would like to remind all contractors, and the residents who hire them, of the following rules in force in Côte Saint-Luc:
- Snow from private driveways and walkways must not be placed on public sidewalks, lanes or streets. The only exception is when the city is removing snow in your vicinity, at which time it may be added to the banks to be removed. It must be spread out along the snow bank, not piled in a single large mass. Under no circumstances may snow removed from one driveway be placed on the street
- in front of any neighbouring driveway or around fire hydrants.
- The blockage of any street, sidewalk or lane by snow removed from private land is not permitted.
Please ensure that your contractor has a valid snow removal permit from the City. According to our bylaws, contractors and homeowners are responsible for any rule violations. To avoid possible fines, please make sure your contractor complies with the city’s regulations. Private snow removal contractors must display their city licence on the rear window of their snow removal vehicles.
Which streets are cleaned first?
For reasons for safety, the city prioritizes snow clearing and snow removal on primary streets and streets (or parts of streets) near public safety buildings (police, fire, hospitals, etc.), schools, and municipal buildings. Once the snow is cleared from these main areas, work begins on secondary streets and then on tertiary streets.
Primary streets are the main roads that have the most traffic, including Côte Saint-Luc Rd., Cavendish Blvd., Fleet Rd., Westminster Ave., Kildare Rd., Mackle Rd., and Guelph Rd.
Secondary streets are collector roads that have higher through traffic or high-density buildings, such as Merton Rd., Parkhaven Ave., and others.
Tertiary streets are typically smaller roads with limited and non-through traffic.
Keep sidewalks clear
Please move trash bins, blue bins, brown bins, basketball nets, and all other items to a safe distance away from the sidewalk and onto your driveway and please ensure your vehicles are parked only on your driveway and not on the sidewalk so that our crews can properly clear snow from the sidewalk and street in front of your home. The City of Côte Saint-Luc assumes no liability for any damage to your property that is in the way of our snow removal operations.
Damage to property
In the event that you feel the city has damaged your private property, please see Damage to private property.
Road salt and sand
Côte Saint-Luc applies road salt and abrasives to main roads and intersections to maintain traffic flow and keep our roads safe when snow or frozen snow begins falling. Once 2.5 cm of snow have fallen, snow-clearing operations begin.
Safety
During snow removal, there is always a spotter in front of the snow blower and any obstruction will lead to an immediate halt in operations as a safety precaution.
Increased traffic near the snow dump site
During snow-removal operations, there will be increased heavy truck traffic in the areas around the environmentally approved snow dump on Marc Chagall Ave. All Côte Saint-Luc trucks comply with all traffic regulations according to instructions given by the City.