The City of Lethbridge has activated Phase 1 Snow Routes as of February 20, 2023. (Photo: City of Lethbridge)

By Sarah Jones

Lethbridge focused on snowplow efforts amidst heavy snowfall

Feb 21, 2023 | 4:39 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge has activated phase 1 snow routes across the city.

That means in order to effectively plow city streets, temporary parking restrictions have come into effect for vehicles parked on Phase 1 routes.

The impacted areas can be identified with a blue snowflake tab on the upper side of a parking sign, or they can be located on the City of Lethbridge website.

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City Transportation Manager Darwin Juell said, “We’ve had three different snow events [November 9, 2022, December 15, 2022, December 19, 2022] where we declared and placed warning tickets in those 25 km of roads.”

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So far this winter, approximately 1,500 courtesy reminders were distributed to non-compliant vehicles, which gave residents in these areas a chance to learn about the process before the city proceeds with parking enforcement.

Juell said, “Now, as of tomorrow morning [Wednesday, February 22, 2023], we’ll be placing tickets for those people that do not move their vehicle on the Phase 1 plowing to the right.”

Those who remain parked in an active snow route could be subject to a $25 fine, with a $15 reduction if the ticket is paid within seven days.

Juell went on to say, “We’re only going to ticket the people that are impeding the plow’s that get plowed in, because we can’t stop the work. So, if you come in an hour after the plowing is done, even though it’s still a snow route declaration, they likely will not get ticketed; but the ticketing will be done on anybody that is parked after the snow route is declared and before the snowplow gets there.”

These measures will remain in place until the City of Lethbridge announces snow routes are no longer active, and parking can resume.

As of Monday, February 20, 2023, The City of Lethbridge has two crews working 12-hour shifts in order to provide 24-hour coverage for the city.

In addition to using its 12 newly–named snowplows to clear the roads, the city also hires contractors with graders for additional help with snow removal.

Read more: City of Lethbridge unveils winners of snowplow naming contest

Snow removal funding comes from the snow and ice control program under the City of Lethbridge’s $3.88 million dollar budget, which Juell noted is rounded up to $4 million annually.

“It’s important to note, of the four million dollars, that is backstopped [reinforced] by are MRSR (Municipal Revenue Stabilization Reserve), basically the stabilization reserve that the city uses,” explained Juell. “So, if we have extremely harsh winters like we had in 2011, 2018, where we were millions of dollars over, that is backstopped [reinforced] by the MRSR. Any surplus money we don’t spend in our snow and ice control, the 3.88 million goes back into MRSR.”

“So, for the last 10 years, we’ve put back in $1.75 million dollars into the MRSR. Some years are a little better, some years are a little worse, but overall, we’ve paid back the city through snow and ice control back into the coffers,” added Juell.

While roads are in the process of being cleared, Juell indicated that people should adjust their driving to the conditions, be patient, and leave 10 to 15 minutes earlier for work or school.

To learn more about the Phase 1 Snow Routes, check out the City of Lethbridge website.

Read more at Lethbridge News Now.