Let the clearing begin: Montreal starts season’s first snow-removal operation

Montreal will kick off its first snow-removal operation of the season on Friday morning.

Thousands of trucks and snowplows will be out as of 7 a.m., with work starting across all boroughs – though they can start immediately on mobility infrastructure such as reserved lanes, drop-off zones, school areas and bike paths.

Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on updates from their boroughs — and to do a few simple things that help speed up the work (and avoid getting towed and ticketed).

Nearly 3,000 workers and 2,500 snow-removal vehicles will take part in operations across roughly 11,000 kilometres of municipal roads.

Parking and operations

The city says several measures are in place to help speed up the process:

• 8,223 overnight parking spaces are available between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• Parking restrictions will be lifted quickly once loading is finished.
• Extra attention will be paid to sidewalks to support safe walking
• The city’s Mobility Squad will increase interventions to clear anytihng that could slow plows.

Residents are asked to:

• Respect parking restrictions.
• Keep sidewalks clear of bulky items and place garbage bags or bins on private property.
• Park parallel to the curb, leaving 30 cm of space, and fold in side mirrors.

311 Montreal app gets a makeover

Montreal has updated its official app, now called 311 Montreal, adding real-time snow-removal tracking. Formerly known as Montréal – services aux citoyens, the updated app includes alerts, a live snow-clearing map and tools to report issues such as icy sidewalks or potholes.

The app is free on Apple and Android, and residents can download it or simply update the previous version.

Drivers can also use the Info-Neige app to monitor street-clearing operations and get real-time updates for parking and snow removal.

Residents can also visit the snow removal section of montreal.ca, where they’ll find:

• A map of free parking options
• INFO-Remorquage, used to find vehicles that are towed if they get in the way of operations

Safety reminders

The city urges caution around snow-removal machinery.

Make eye contact with operators when near equipment, and remember that plows and loaders have large blind spots and often need to move forward and backward to get the job done.