Banff’s entire downtown will now be a top priority for snow removal, including back alleys.
In addition, all roads that are school bus routes will be priority one and two areas, essentially cementing in writing Banff’s snow and ice management policy.
“This is the safety of our children,” said Councillor Brian Standish at a council meeting Monday (Jan. 28) during discussion on amendments to the snow and ice management policy. “There’s nothing more important to me.”
Roads are plowed and sanded within 24 hours of snowfall in Priority 1 and Priority 2 areas, also known as red zones and blue zones respectively, while Priority 3 areas are plowed and sanded within 48 hours.
Other roads gets plowed and sanded when packed snow or ice causes problems for vehicles and safety becomes a concern. Snow in parking lots get piled within 48 hours and removed at a later date.
Unless crews are called out for worsening conditions from a severe snowstorm, snow clearing in the Banff townsite is typically carried out between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The Town is also trying to work more closely with hoteliers in the face of complaints to give them advance notice of when snow removal will be done outside of those normal operating hours.
“It’s a tough way to be woken up first thing in the morning, especially if you are a paying guest,” said Coun. Grant Canning.
Coun. Stavros Karlos argued Banff already does too much plowing on its streets.
“I believe we over-clear our roads,” he said. “We live in a mountain community, and as such, we should all be prepared for winter driving conditions.”
The Town will use a washed rock product next winter when clearing and sanding streets to cut back on dust. It would also potentially cost $18,000 more.
“I will be really interested to see this washed rock option. With the level of dust we get in the spring, I think this has value, at least on a trial basis,” said Mayor Karen Sorensen.
